Free Dr. Suthachai Yimprasert & All Thai Political Prisoners
An Open Letter received by The Multicultural Politic:
Dr Suthachai Yimprasert
To whom it may concern (especially the human rights organizations),
This is urgent information regarding Dr. Suthachai Yimprasert, a historian who was arrested by the Thai authorities on May 24, 2010. Please help campaign for his release.
Malawi Gay Rights Victory: Justice at last for Steven and Tiwonge
President Bingu of Malawi has pardoned the couple, Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, who were recently sentenced to 14 years hard labour on charges of homosexuality.
Ban Ki Moon had applauded the lifting of the sentence, which had been met with outrage by the United States, Europe and rights groups, and called on Malawi’s parliament to change the country’s laws.
Peter Tatchell, the British human rights campaigner who has championed Steven and Tiwonge’s case and support them personally, arranging prison visits, food parcels and medicine, said
“Our thanks to President Bingu and Ban Ki Moon for ending this terrible injustice. Steven and Tiwonge should never have been arrested, let alone jailed for five months, convicted and sentenced to 14 years hard labour. They love one another and have harmed no one.
Climate defence is not an offence!
Official launch of the Climate9 public campaign – defending grassroots climate action in the face of political failure. Speakers include top human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce, Civil Rights and Anti Racist Activist Suresh Grover with more to be announced.
Climate9 ‘Climate Defence Is Not An Offence’ Poster To avoid disappointment RSVP ASAP to info@climate9.com
The "Climate 9"
Democracy for the People of Thailand – Protest at Royal Thai Embassy, London @ 28/05/05 4pm
Indonesian activists dramatise the May 19th Thai army crackdown
The UK section of the International Solidarity for the People of Thailand Campaign is calling a demonstration today at the Royal Thai Embassy, 30 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 5JB at 4pm – 6pm. Since 10th April, more than 80 people have been killed including non-aligned protestors, independent journalists and Red Shirt leaders. By 19th May, the Abhisit government had completed a “successful mission” in Bangkok, but the uprising has spread throughout the countries with at least 22 provinces recording anti-government protests in both violent and non-violent ways. The International Solidarity for Thailand Campaign started on Tuesday 18th May with a single voice calling for solidarity against the army shooting and assassination of unarmed citizens protesting against an unelected government. The response to call made by the International Solidarity for Thailand Campaign has been humbling, and we have received messages of solidarity and witnessed solidarity protests and demonstrations in Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong as well as in the UK. We are not aligned either side, not the Royalist government nor with the so-called “Red Shirts”, formally known as the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship as we abhor violence as a legitimate method of protest. Though any group under violent attack have a right to defend themselves, we believe however that the UDD have gone beyond self-defence an engaged in acts of aggression.
We do acknowledge although that things are changing, once the UDD was unequivocally supportive and backed by the ousted Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire and corrupt politican. Now it appears that the call for democracy and immediate elections initiated by the UDD has resonated across the country and is a cry that goes back to 1932 with the promise of Professor Pridi Phanomyong bringing the official end of Absolute Monarchy and delivering a path towards full democratic self-rule.
Dutch cleaners victory after 9 weeks sustained strike action!
Back in April whilst the UK was in Election fever, in the Netherlands the Dutch Railways cleaners went on strike, it became the longest strike in Dutch history since 1933. After 9 long weeks, mostly migrant cleaners without a great command of Dutch took on their bosses and won.
According to Willem Dekker, an organizer with Bondgenoten the largest trade union in the Netherlands, they won a number of concessions including: Read more
TMP Editor on Al Jazeera
In the early hours of the morning of 7th May, as the results were coming in for the British General Election 2010. I appeared on Al Jazeera English News Channel to speak on two topics:
- Proportional Representation and what it means for far-right parties like the British National Party
- The Barking “Hodge vs Griffin” results from an anti-fascist perspective, I was billed as “Hope Not Hate” though I asked to be named a representative of “South London Anti-Fascist Group”
My debut on Al Jazeera is below, filmed and uploaded on to YouTube by a good colleague of mine and now on The Multicultural Politic for you to enjoy/lament/laugh at:
Happy Africa Day From TMP Online
On this day in Addis Ababa, 1963, Kwame Nkrumah‘s dream of Pan-African Unity was partially realised, the Organisation for African Unity was created and 25th May was declared to be “Africa Day”.
Kwame Nkrumah: African Socialist and Founding Father of African Unity
There are very few official celebrations that commemorate this day though the South African Trade Union Congress (COSATU) has released a statement in remembrance.
Osborne and Laws sharpen their axes: the Con-Dem Nation Economy
So two weeks in, Osborne is able to keep his pledge on making £6,000,000,000 of cuts this year. Well what he has announced proves that he is actually making £5,700,000,000, as he is “redirecting” £500 million, which means he is £300 million pounds short of his pledge.
Whilst the city and business leaders have applauded the “fair but painful” cuts, they note that it will not affect most of the city. Yes some small business will feel the pain particular government contractors and businesses in the IT sector but the Markets and Richard Lambert, head of the Confederation of British Industry could barely contain his joy as taxes will not be raised on the rich, which was the real fear.
Lib Dems and Tories have sold out disabled children
From Jon Bartley on Ekklesia
So despite David Cameron’s promise on national TV to meet with the parents of disabled children who attend mainstream schools, and Channel 4’s FactCheck which showed that the PM didn’t know the contents of his own manifesto with regard to the treatment of disabled children, the Lib Dem-Conservative agreement has taken on board the Tory pledge to “remove the bias toward inclusion” of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in mainstream schools (Sec 26).
http://programmeforgovernment.hmg.gov.uk/files/2010/05/coalition-program…
In full this is what it says:
“We believe the most vulnerable children deserve the very highest quality of care. We will improve diagnostic assessment for schoolchildren, prevent the unnecessary closure of special schools, and remove the bias towards inclusion.”
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State of Emergency in Jamaica: Citizen Media Follows the Standoff
By Janine Mendes-Franco from Global Voices
Home made barricades are manned by people armed with AK47s (Credit: BBC Worldwide Flickr Photostream)
A study in extremes is perhaps how the last 24 hours in the Caribbean region could be adequately described: As Trinidad and Tobago peacefully went to the polls and elected its first female Prime Minister, Jamaica was facing more violent unrest.
Read more