1 09 2010

The cover reads “Just like Peter Crouch…we’re young, hot and have slept with prostitutes.“ Yes, it’s a weekly gossip magazine. Yes, like most girls, I’m guilty of reading it. And yes, even I surprised myself to have found within, inspiration for this blog!

More here

The Justice and International Mission Unit (sponsor of JustAct) has some new stuff on their website that could be of interest.

Consuming Passions

Events

• JIM Convention Registration Form – Saturday 2 October, 2010 9.30 AM – 4.30 PM
• JIM Convention 2010 Poster
• Walk against warming
• Festival of refugees
• Stand up and make noise
• Anti Poverty Week

As ‘Crikey!’ pointed out recently, the new ads from the Liberal National coalition are reminiscent of the ancient BBC show, Dad’s Army. For graying aficionados of the show the line, ‘don’t panic’ might resonate. Panic and fear permeate the section of the advertisement on refugees who are dishonestly referred to as ‘illegal’.

We have been highlighting the role of Philippines authorities regarding the arrest of Dr Montes, a member of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and 42 other health workers. It has been reported that Dr Montes has alleged that while being interrogated he was pushed in the chest. He also claims that while blind-folded he felt a tingling sensation on the side of his thighs, which he believed was due to some form of electrocution.

The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has documented that one female detainee reported being slapped, hit on the back of the head and being threatened with being buried alive while under interrogation. Another female detainee also alleged she was threatened with being buried alive while being interrogated.

The Philippines Government has promoted the two officers that were in charge of the raid that arrested the health workers, Colonel Aurelio Baladad and Lt Colonel Jamie Abawag.

The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has questioned why the detainees remain in military custody when it was a civilian court that issued the search warrant that led to their arrest. The Commission has reported that from 8 February to 14 February, the detainees were subjected to “continuous interrogation, especially at odd hours of the night”. The interrogations stopped for a brief period, and then resumed on 18 February.

The Commission on Human Rights’ doctors were allowed to visit the detainees on 11 and 18 February. The doctors found no signs of the detainees having been subjected to physical torture. The Commission has called on the Philippines authorities to ensure the detainees have access to their lawyers, relatives, priests or religious ministers and medical personnel in compliance with Philippines law.

In early March, the Court of Appeals rejected a petition of habeas corpus on behalf of the detainees to have them brought before court and have them released in a vote of 3 to 2 of the five judges involved in the decision. Lawyers for the detainees have stated that they will appeal to the Supreme Court.

The 43 detainees have been charged with illegal possession of explosives, with three of them also being charged with illegal possession of firearms. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has also labelled the 43 detainees as members of the communist armed opposition group, the New The Philippines National Police have admitted that they are no longer looking for the person who was on the search warrant that formed the basis for raid that led to the arrest of the 43 health workers. This is despite the fact the person named on the warrant was not among those arrested.

The embattled workers of Alta Mode Inc., a garments factory in the Mactan export zone and subcontractor for global brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, are appealing for help. Since February 15, a hundred workers have camped out in the main gates of the Mactan export zone, one of the biggest in the Philippines, after they were locked out. The Alta Mode Workers are demanding that they return to work. The workers have proof that management’s claims of monetary losses are lies. Workers are saying that the company is closing the factory in order to deny their freedom of association.

The Alta Mode workers want job security. Since labor unrest broke out at Alta Mode, workers have struggled over illegal shutdowns, erratic working days and inhuman production quotas. After workers organized, management interfered in the exercise of the right to freedom of association with aim of defeating union certification. No union has survived in the three decades-long history of the Mactan export zone, proving the no union, no strike policy of export zones.

Go here to take action

Help shape the agenda!
Social Policy Connections invites you to a Consultation on Election Priorities 2010

You are warmly invited to join this consultation on SPC policies and priorities
10am – 1 pm, Saturday 20 March at the Study Centre, Yarra Theological Union, 98 Albion Rd., Box Hill. Best entry via 34 Bedford St. Click HERE for directions. Please RSVP by Friday 19th 3pm: 9899 4777 or admin@socialpolicyconnections.com.au

In April 2009 the End Christian Persecution Network of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania requested supporters write to the Chinese authorities and the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs about Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Mr Gao remains ‘disappeared’ after being arrested by Chinese security forces in January 2009.

AFP reported on 6 February 2010 that Gao Zhisheng had been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the US Congress.

His wife, Geng He, told the US Congress that “These past few weeks, I can’t sleep until 3 am every night. My heart aches because I recall every single detail. Really, sometimes I feel that it might be better if he were dead than alive. But I am hoping and I am ready to trade my own life for his so that the family can go on.”

She voiced hope that appeals from the US and other foreign nations would help. “Unless there is international pressure, I fear that in the future there may be no more lawyers in China who will take up these cases.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu refused to answer questions from foreign reporters on Mr Gao’s whereabouts. Mr Ma said “I guess that he should be where he should be.”

The End Christian Persecution Network of the Uniting Church in Victoria thanks  everyone who wrote letters calling for the release of Mr Gao.

The Welfare Rights Unit (WRU) is a community legal centre located in Collingwood that provides free telephone advice service for people in Victoria with questions about their rights under the social security system and social security law.

The advice service operates Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9.30 am and 12.30 pm. The phones are staffed by paid and unpaid workers trained in social security law.

The WRU is currently seeking volunteers to assist in providing telephone advice. Volunteers would be asked to participate in a training program and then commit to one morning a week to assist on our advice line.

UNITE has recently won over $100,000 in payouts for 7-Eleven workers in Melbourne and Sydney. For more details see links below.

Contact the UNITE office on 03 9328 1555.

More information here (and here).

Good news:
Koorong has agreed to meet with the Justice and International Mission Unit and discuss how to move forward constructively on ensuring ethical standards are maintained in the production of goods sold at Koorong.

This follows the National Council of Churches in Australia (as well as Victorian Heads of Churches) endorsing a fair trade in Christian goods.

There is still no word from Word bookstores.

Background info and more

To take action go here (Word)