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> Mon., Jan. 26, 2004
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Hispanics left out in New Hampshire
9/11 Commission report due
Mexican military invasion of Tlalnepantla
Slow to demilitarize Chiapas
Japanese peace envoy in Sri Lanka
FSRN Headlines
Part of USA Patriot Act Unconstitutional
A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled part of the USA Patriot
Act unconstitutional. The 36-page ruling was handed down on
Friday but made available today. In the decision, Judge Audrey
Collins said the ban on providing expert advise or assistance
is impermissibly vague and in violation of the First and Fifth
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Humanitarian Law
Project brought the suit claiming that five groups and 2 U.S.
citizens trying to provide lawful, non-violent support of
Kurdish refugees in Turkey were threatened by Justice Department
officials with 15 years in prison if they continued. It is
the first court decision to declare part of the so-called
Patriot Act unconstitutional.
No Aid in Sight for Homeless Palestinians
The Israeli government is still leveling Palestinian homes
at the Gaza-Egypt border searching for tunnels that, in part,
are used for smuggling. As Mohammed Ghalyini reports from
Gaza City, more than 400 Palestinians will remain homeless
until resources to rebuild arrive.
Colombian Military-Paramilitary Relationship Ongoing
Rights groups counter statements made by Secretary of State
Collin Powell about the state of the Colombian military and
criticize the U.S. gift of 34-million dollars saying the Colombian
armed forces continue to violate human rights. Nicole Karsin
has more from Bogotá.
Ecuadorians Fight Multinational Oil Companies
A state of emergency is declared in a region of Ecuador after
violence erupts over access to oil fields by multinational
corporations. Kurt Kanu from Quito.
[top]
Hispanics left out in New Hampshire
After walking out on the last round of talks over the Central
America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), this weekend Costa Rica
came to an agreement with the Bush Administration that will
see the NAFTA like free-trade agreement one step closer to
implementation. Free trade has been one of the issues most
of the Democratic Presidential candidates have remained vague
on, with only Congressman Dennis Kucinich pledging to immediately
cancel NAFTA and the WTO. John Kerry voted for "Fast
Track" powers making it easier for Bush to win passage
of his trade agenda. We begin this report with correspondent
Chuck Rosina who reports that activists in Boston are trying
to sway the candidate to a different point of view. Host Deepa
Fernandes continues with a look at the issues that are affecting
the Hispanic community in New Hampshire that most candidates
are not addressing.
[top]
9/11 Commission report due
Late Friday, David Kay stepped down from heading the CIA's
search for weapons of mass destruction, saying they'll probably
never be found. Kay recommended that the CIA and other intelligence
agencies should be overhauled saying said the errors in the
intelligence on prewar Iraq were grave. In a New York Times
interview, Kay said Iraq's unconventional weapons program
were in a state of disarray under the erratic leadership of
Saddam Hussein. Kay will be replaced by Charles Duelfer, a
former UN Weapons inspector who has already expressed doubt
of finding the weapons of mass destruction as did Secretary
of State Collin Powell over the weekend. However Vice President
Dick Cheney says the weapons may still be found. So far the
U.S. has spent close to a billion dollars looking for them.
A Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating the intelligence
failure, but it is doubtful it will look into whether the
White House manipulated the information. Meanwhile with a
looming deadline for a final report, today the September 11th
Commission met in Washington DC. The Commission took testimony
from former Embassy Counselor officials and Customs officials
on how the 19 hijackers sidestepped U.S. immigration law to
enter and remain in the country. 9/11 family members are criticizing
the White House for it's opposition to extending the May 27th
deadline. The Commissioners say the haven't had enough time
to go through all the evidence because, in part, the White
House has been slow in providing subpoenaed documents. Mitch
Jeserich reports.
[top]
Mexican military invasion of Tlalnepantla
The situation in the small, mostly indigenous, central Mexican
town of Tlalnepantla remains tense after a recent armed incursion
by state police. The conflict began in July of 2003 when campesinos
of Tlalnepantla occupied the town's municipal hall in reaction
to the results of what they called an illegitimate election.
Although no mainstream U.S. media source has picked up on
the story, the police invasion of the autonomous municipality
has become major national news in Mexico. Vladimir Flores
reports from Mexico City.
[top]
Slow to demilitarize Chiapas
Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas houses 70 thousand
soldiers, making it the most militarized state in the country.
Despite seven military positions being removed in 2001 to
comply with conditions set by the EZLN to reinitiate peace
negotiations, the number of soldiers has not decreased. Currently,
the northern zone of the state houses 5 military bases and
the surrounding communities are suffering due to a break down
of their social fabric. With the growing resentment towards
the military, the fight to remove them has just begun. Ximena
Antillon and Luz Ruiz report from Chiapas.
[top]
Japanese peace envoy in Sri Lanka
The top Japanese peace envoy visited a northern rebel-controlled
city in Sri Lanka last week to talk with the rebels' top political
leader. The discussion centered on the peace process between
the rebel Tamil Tigers and the government. The Japanese representative
also co-chaired a meeting of international donors in Colombo
to discuss reconstruction in the war-torn country. Central
to rehabilitation for thousands of refugees is de-mining.
Our correspondent Miles Ashdown has more.
[top]
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