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> Tue., Dec. 13, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Stanley Tookie Williams Executed
People from All Walks of Life throughout the Nation React
to Execution
Iraqis Living Abroad Begin Casting Ballots Today
Investigation into CIA Secret Prisons in Poland
Industrialized Nation’s Farm Subsidies Ruing Developing
Economies
Colombian Abortion Ban Decision
FSRN Headlines
RACIAL TENSION IN SYDNEY
Following days of violence in Sydney's Southern beach suburbs,
the New South Wales state parliament will be recalled from
their Christmas break on Thursday to pass new laws allowing
police to shut down public areas, close liquor shops and hotels,
as well as to search and confiscate cars. The new laws will
also increase jail terms for riot-related offences from five
to 15 years. Cinnamon Nippard has more from Sydney.
Eleven men were arrested on Monday night as groups of men
of Middle-Eastern appearance retaliated against Sunday's race
fueled riot at Cronulla. Seven people were injured, while
cars and shops were trashed, and rocks and flares were hurled
at police in the beach suburbs of Cronulla, Brighton-le-Sands
and Caringbah. New South Wales premier Morris Iemma said police
would be given special "lockdown" powers to stop
convoys from forming and driving into communities to carry
out acts of retribution. He believes the new laws are necessary
to regain control of the streets from criminals and thugs
who have declared "war" on Sydney. Prime Minister
John Howard has continued to play down the race issue in the
violence, instead sticking to his line that it's primarily
one of law and order. On Tuesday night the police presence
was quadrupled in areas most badly affected by violence, and
there have been calls to import police from other Australian
states to deal with the situation For Free Speech Radio News
in Sydney, I'm Cinnamon Nippard.
HAITIANS PROTEST IMMIGRATION POLICY
Haitians angry about mass deportations from the neighboring
Dominican Republic protested a visit by the Dominican president
Leonel Fernandez. At yesterday's demonstration in Port-au-Prince,
Wake Up Call's Deepa Fernandes asked Haitian student, Earnest
Bolivar, to describe the immigration policy of the Dominican
Republic. "It's racist because its government is organizing
an attack against a minority, a community; the Haitians."
The Dominican republic is a much more affluent nation in comparison
to its neighbor, which ranks as the poorest country in this
hemisphere. Haitian police later broke up the demonstration
with live gunfire.
CLASHES IN THE WEST BANK
Tensions remain high in the West Bank as the Israeli army
continues an incursion there. Manar Jibrin files this report.
Israeli army invaded Nablus today, firing rounds of live
ammunition at dozens of houses and clashing with locals. One
Nablus resident was killed and at least twenty were injured.
Two Israeli soldiers were injured after an explosive charge
was hurled at their jeep. Chris, a humanitarian aid worker
living in Nablus, described what happened today. At least
five Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank cities of
Tulkarem and Salfit. The Israeli army briefly withdrew from
the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday and removed the checkpoints
which had been installed at its main entrances three days
prior. The army re-invaded the city hours after its withdrawal.
FOREST LEGISLATION IN THAILAND
In Thailand, around 5,000 forest dwellers and community forest
advocates demonstrated today in Bangkok to urge the Thai government
to reject a bill they say threatens forest dwellers' rights
to natural resource management. Kye Mesa Barnard reports from
Chiang Mai.
Over a month ago, 50 representatives of northern Thai forest
dwellers set out on foot on a 430 mile journey from Chiang
Mai, in the north of Thailand, to Bangkok. Upon arrival at
their destination in front of the Thai parliament building
today, the group had grown to nearly 5,000 strong. They called
on the government to discard an amended community forest bill
in favor of an original people's version of the same bill.
After 50,000 people petitioned for a bill that allowed forest
dwellers the right to live on and manage forest lands, the
Thai House passed the legislation in 2001. However, the Senate
has since made changes that the marchers say distorts the
principle of community forests and limits their rights to
sustainable use of the land. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
has stated that he supports the people's version of the bill,
and community forest advocates have asked that he push it
prior to the end of the House session on December 19th. For
Free Speech Radio News, this is Kye Mesa Barnard in Chiang
Mai.
WTO MINISTERIAL OPENS
The 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization
opened today, ushering in delegates from 149 countries. Meanwhile,
demonstrators took to the streets of Hong Kong. Ngoc Nguyen
files this report.
Thousands of protesters rallied and staged sit-ins today
along a route lined with shopping malls and upscale boutiques.
They marched from Hong Kong's Victoria Park to the Convention
Center, which juts into Victoria Harbor, and is flanked on
three sides by water. Police and spectators lined the route
of the mostly peaceful, but exuberant, parade. The largest
contingent was made of up thousands of South Korean farmers.
Dozens of them surprised the crowd by stripping down to their
boxer shorts, strapping on orange life-jackets and jumping
into the frigid waters. They swam toward the Convention Center
but were warded off by police in tugboats. In a separate incident,
police pepper-sprayed several activists, who pushed up against
police barricades. For Free Speech Radio News, I'm Ngoc Nguyen
in Hong Kong.
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Stanley Tookie Williams Executed (3:52)
State and federal courts rejected last minute appeals filed
by lawyers on behalf of San Quentin death row inmate Stan
Tookie Williams. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
denied clemency, paving the way for Williams’ execution,
who was pronounced dead at 12:35 this morning. Williams’
supporters say new evidence proving his innocence continues
to emerge everyday – evidence they say indicates the
state executed an innocent man. FSRN’s Sarah Olson has
more from inside San Quentin prison.
[top]
People from All Walks of Life throughout the Nation
React to Execution (1:30)
FSRN correspondents including Andrew Stelzer and Renee Feltz
were on the streets of Tampa, Houston and East LA last night,
talking to people from all walks who expressed shock, anger
and sadness over Tookie’s execution.
[top]
Iraqis Living Abroad Begin Casting Ballots Today
(2:33)
Iraqis in fifteen countries began voting today, with many
who boycotted January's elections casting ballots for the
first time. David Enders reports from Zarqa, Jordan.
[top]
Investigation into CIA Secret Prisons in Poland
(3:43)
Swiss Senator Dick Marty, who is investigating allegations
that the CIA kidnapped and illegally shipped terror suspects
through European borders, has announced that the claims are
likely true. In a report issued by a Council of Europe committee,
Marty has condemned the US for neither confirming nor denying
the claims. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
has commissioned a seperate investigation into allegations
that the CIA detained suspected terrorists at secret prisons
in Poland. Results from that finding are expected as early
as next week. Danuta Szafraniec reports from Warsaw.
[top]
Industrialized Nation’s Farm Subsidies Ruing
Developing Economies (3:43)
The Sixth World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference
has kicked off in Hong Kong, China today. Many observers believe
it's crucial that the WTO manage to resolve some of the sticking
points holding up trade talks between economically developing
and already industrialized nations. A major issue is the debate
over free and fair trade. Many in the economically developing
world believe that market liberalization, in the name of free
trade, has impoverished local producers on account of the
industrialized world's continued use of agricultural subsidies.
Rupert Cook reports.
[top]
Colombian Abortion Ban Decision (4:10)
The legal battle to decriminalize a total ban on abortion
in Colombia has taken dramatic turns. Colombia is one of the
five Latin American countries where abortion is prohibited
under all circumstances. Last week, after more than 9 months
of heated public debate, Colombia’s highest court abstained
from ruling on a suit to reform abortion law in cases of rape,
where the mother’s health is at risk, or when the fetus
is severely deformed. The court sited technical errors in
the legal complaint. After revising her argument yesterday,
29-year-old Women’s Link Worldwide lawyer Monica Roa,
submitted a second legal challenge to the country’s
Constitutional Court, seeking to lift Colombia’s total
ban on abortion. From Bogotá, Nicole Karsin has more.
[top]
Pacifica Radio Archives
And that does it for today's newscast. Before we close out
though, we would like to make a correction to yesterday’s
newscast, when we didn't credit the Pacifica Radio Archives
for archival sound of Richard Pryor. We often use Pacifica
Radio Archives historic recordings in our newscast –
and if you want more information on the amazing work they
do preserving important pieces of history, you can log on
to www.pacificaradioarchives.org.
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