alice en karen

Am linking Alice and Karen's site. Check out the media gallery: and find where I am.

Aussie pre-emption

Will Australian PM Launch Pre-emptive Strikes in RP?

With his reelection as Australian prime minister last Oct. 9, will John Howard make good his pre-election threat to launch pre-emptive strikes against terrorist cells in Southeast Asia including the Philippines? Howard had issued similar threats following a blast in Bali, Indonesia more than a year ago that killed hundreds of Australian and other foreign tourists.

Bulatlat
AUTRALIA – With his reelection as Australian prime minister last Oct. 9, will John Howard make good his pre-election threat to launch pre-emptive strikes against terrorist cells in Southeast Asia including the Philippines? The threat was issued following the bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia last Sept. 8.

The Sept. 8 bombing drew reactions from both the Australian government and even the opposition leader to be more involved in the U.S.-led "war against terrorism" in Southeast Asia. Howard, for one, reaffirmed his plan to take "pre-emptive actions" against suspected terrorist bases in the region. He called countries north of Australia – including presumably the Philippines - as an "arc of instability," where further terrorist attacks are nearly inevitable.


WARMONGERS: Newly reelected Australian Prime Minister John Howard with U.S. President George W. Bush, himself seeking reelection this November

Howard had issued similar threats following a blast in Bali, Indonesia more than a year ago that killed hundreds of Australian and other foreign tourists.

Howard's remarks drew criticisms from the opposition that this will put relations with Asia at risk. Taking his own stand, however, opposition leader Mark Latham (Australian Labour Party) did not question the U.S.-led "war against terror'' and asked that the war be focused on Southeast Asia.

Before the election, Latham clashed with Howard in the "Great Debate" where he stated that if his Labour Party wins, Australian forces would become more involved in the maritime surveillance of the Philippines' southern seas.

The mainstream international press has reported about ongoing traffic of Islamic militants in historic trading routes from Sulawesi and Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, across the Sulu Sea to Mindanao, Philippines. Members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), suspects in the Jakarta bombing, are allegedly taking training in Mindanao using the facilities of groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), ties which had allegedly been forged in Afghanistan. MILF leaders have denied the report.

Meanwhile, Indonesian police say the bombing in Jakarta has the hallmarks of former Malaysian engineer and university lecturer, Ashahari Husin. The alleged author of Jemaah Islamiyah's bombing manual, Husin was trained in Afghanistan and the Philippines, reports said.

Pre-emptive strikes

If re-elected, Howard had said his government will give the Australian Federal Police the go-ahead to create two counter-terrorism teams to be based in Southeast Asia – naming the Philippines and Indonesia as probable centers. The statement elicited criticisms about the prime minister's conflicting messages: while on the one hand, he said the Australian government will send police teams on the basis of cooperation, on the other hand, he also said Australian forces could launch pre-emptive strikes in sovereign countries.

But shadow (or opposition) Defense Minister Kim Beazley dared Howard to go ahead and pre-empt by attacking known terrorist bases in the southern Philippines.

The Howard government supports the "war against terror" led by the United States and justifies the U.S. invasion of Iraq as rightful. The prime minister also criticized the Philippines' Macapagal-Arroyo government for withdrawing its humanitarian mission from Iraq following protests in the Philippines late July. The protests called for the contingent's withdrawal to save the life of truck driver Angelo dela Cruz, a Filipino taken hostage by Iraqi rebels.

The idea of pre-emption has worried Southeast Asian countries. The Malaysian deputy prime minister said his country would protect its own sovereignty against any pre-emptive strike and shot down plans to post an Australian federal police flying squad in his country.

Last resort

To parry criticisms against Howard, Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill clarified pre-emption as a "last resort." Hill said that Australia was cooperating with countries in Southeast Asia like Indonesia and the Philippines to protect national security and Australian citizens.

But Hill himself has not ruled out the possibility of sending special forces in an "operational sense." He once said that if the Philippine government requests for support they will be "obviously addressed."

Australia has sponsored a regional counter-terrorism conference and has bilateral arrangements with other countries. It has provided training assistance to Philippine forces.

Asked for comment, Jane Brock, Executive Officer of the Immigrant Women's Speakout Association of New South Wales, said the Australian government's reasons for intervening in Southeast Asia are "not valid." She also said before the election that whatever party will be voted in the Australian elections will not make any difference for Filipinos, as the over-all framework is pro-U.S.

Brock emphasized that it is wrong for Australia to justify security concerns as a reason to violate the sovereignty of the Philippines and its people. She related how even MILF's Eid Kabalu invited Australians to join the peace process with the Macapagal-Arroyo government.

She asked why launch pre-emptive strikes when even the Abu Sayyaf group is not capable of launching attacks on Australian soil. Bulatlat

Fil-aussie forum

MIGRANT WATCH

Fil-Aussies Still Troubled by Racism, Discrimination

Filipino immigrants in Australia pledge to push for legislations that would put a stop to racist and discriminatory policies not only against them but expatriates from other countries.

Bulatlat

AUSTRALIA - Migrants displaced in their own country by circumstances and the poor policies of their home country have to deal with the situation in their adopted country. Even in a First World country such as Australia, Filipinos and their children are now actively voicing out their concerns.

Early this October, migrant Filipinos and Filipino-Australians held a forum to question Australian politicians on their stands on the issues and concerns of migrants and foreign policy. Migrante Philippines-Australia and the Immigrant Women's Speakout Association of New South Wales (NSW), a peak organization of immigrant and refugee women based in New South Wales, initiated the forum as a venue to demand better treatment of immigrants in Australia, along with airing out other issues and concerns.

Mario Royeca, president of Migrante Philippines-Australia, expounded how it was an important occasion for the migrant community, which reportedly suffers from the "racist and discriminatory immigration policies" of the current (John) Howard government. Among the issues raised were practices and policies on immigration, Medicare, education, violence in the community and home, women and young people.

Rio Leal, a social work student at the University of New South Wales and a young second generation Filipina urged the politicians to legislate free tertiary education.

Christina Ho, originally from Hong Kong and a lecturer at the University of Technology-Sydney presented key issues from her research on the effectiveness of the government's Skilled Migration Program. Her research findings show that the Skilled Migration Program of the Australian government is flawed and leads to loss of skills and disability for newly arrived migrants. Skilled migrants are "de-skilled" because even though they were assessed in the required competencies, they find out upon arriving that they will need "local experience," she said.

Rose Recto, a member of Migrante Philippines Australia and the Immigrant Women's Speakout of NSW, narrated the domestic violence experienced by women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) and the need to have more refugee and culturally sensitive services.

Family reunion

Chandrika Subramaniam, of Indian/Sri Lankan origin and a Caseworker of the Multicultural Family Support Service at the Immigrant Women's Speakout Association of NSW, emphasized the difficulties of migrants in applying for family reunion. It was pointed out that migrant policy makes it hard for immigrants to get petition for their family, and once allowed into Australia, would face difficulties in settling in, resulting from decreased government support, even though they're permanent residents.

Peter Murphy from the Now We the People gave the larger picture of the mainstream issues that Australians have to consider during the election. At the core of these, he said, is Medicare, which is under threat.

Murphy called on politicians and the participants to make sure that Medicare is protected and "not to be tricked by the government's sweet coating of 'enhanced medical services.'" (Medicare is a socially-guaranteed access to universal health care.)

The forum was joined by politicians including Roger Price, from the opposition Australian Labour Party (ALP) and member of the Federal Parliament, who informed the participants that he is working hard to have a flexible and more compassionate policy and strategy for family reunion. He said that it is very painful for immigrants not to have one member of their family to migrate to Australia. On the call for free tertiary education, he said that ALP would abolish the tuition by 25 percent.

A representative from the Greens Party, Astrid O'Neill, a former teacher, said that her party would be working in getting accessible and equitable community services for immigrants, refugees and the mainstream population.

No to Iraq war

Responding to a question from a teen-ager participant, Michael Brock, a student from Marist College in Pagewood, Botany who asked about the political parties' foreign policy especially on Iraq, O'Neill said that the Greens did not support the involvement of the Australian government in the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its stand is for the government to pull out troops immediately.

In her closing remarks, Jane Corpuz-Brock, executive officer of the Immigrant Women's Speakout Association of NSW, encouraged all participants to work for a sustained campaign and lobby for a just and equitable immigration policy. There is, she said, a growing section of the Australian society living in poverty and across all communities the reduction in community services is evident.

Australian elections were to held on Oct. 9 (Saturday), with the position of Australian Prime Minister, now held by John Howard (Liberal), contested by Mark Latham of the opposition Australian Labour Party (ALP). Howard won for a fourth term. Bulatlat

new team

Started training. 7, 5/3, 6/5. Have to ask for observation and lead winning team.

starting team

Starting team tomorrow. She's Filipina. Aim for crew management in two months max. This week: train and regain top position.

new prod

Told yah Marcus was competition. Anyway, pick up next week coz we have to recover from the sprain. Can't walk much. Then regain number one and start building winning crew. Yeah!

Death/ and the Commitment of an Intellectual

There are some people who seem to remain in the corner of our concerns, yet we know are important to our lives. Auntie Auring was one of those silent figures that speak out loud in my memories for the day. She was always there in Lacub, taken out of Bukidnon because of her marriage to Uncle Ingkin. I would always unearth fond memories of going to the house next door in Lacub, and her presence and smile and stories will always be sought. In a sudden tumult of until now muted memories, I will dearly miss her. Here is to our Aunt Auring.

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A committed intellectual who recently died is Paul Sweezy, who has contributed greatly to the world's understanding of capitalism and political economy.
Some of his works clarified how stagnation being capitalism's normal mode (for complex reasons I have no time to spread out here), some of the factors that keep it growing include: the aggressive marketing and waste on created wants, the role of the state and its military spending to boost the economy (contrary to the 'free-market' hypothesis useful in abstract models of the world economic system), and the ever-growing power of financial institutions that impose policies especially in the so-called Third World.

Sweezy also concentrated his thoughts on the struggles against the dominant system. Somewhere he concluded that whereas in the rich countries, the degradation of work has not been homogeneous, creating differentials in ranks among the workers, not to mention the momentary effects of trade unions themselves, even if they're committed to workers' welfare, only contributes to reformism. Thus the focus was on the weakest links of the world system and the struggles, armed as they might, of the most oppressed and trodden in that link --- in the Third World, be it national liberation or struggles for socialism.
Nevertheless, Sweezy also found himself not losing hope in workers' struggles in the First World, especially the US, after a work by one of his colleagues that questioned the wholesale usurpation of the working class in those countries. It turns out that even in the developed countries (loaded term), work is also increasingly being degraded, which is also becoming obvious to people who previously didn't have access to such realities.
*

The task I guess is to develop more committed intellectuals who have the courage to involve themselves in the struggle of people all over the world.

sprained

Twisted my ankle while we were playing Aussie rules yesterday at Coogee beach. Take note to thank Susan. Next week, should try to write in a notebook diary instead of here. Enough of the personal things, if I can.

regain strength

Now that was a week! Anyway, have to regain strength in every sense that I'm thinking of it. Monday, no work. But next week should again be gained.