December 17th - "Stealing a Nation" screening

'Stealing a Nation', John Pilger's latest doco, will screen at 9:40pm this
coming Friday (17th) on TV One in the Foreign Correspondent programme. More
Info:
http://pilger.carlton.com/home
http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133384
http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133386
On October 6, the ITV Network showed John Pilger's 'Stealing a Nation'. This
is a shocking, almost incredible story, largely hidden from history, of the
secret expulsion of the entire population of the Chagos Islands, a British
colony in the Indian Ocean, by the British Government, so that the main
island, Diego Garcia, could be given to America as a military base. More
than 2,000 people were dumped a thousand miles away, in the slums of
Mauritius, and received little in compensation. Their fortunes changed in
the 1990s with the discovery of a bundle of official files, which reveal a
conspiracy between the Foreign Office in London and officials in Washington.

Activism this week: 12th - 18th December

Tuesday 14th December

Overseas Investment Bill protest meeting

December 14th - protest meeting: Overseas Investment Bill

Tuesday December 14, 8pm at Knox Hall, 28 Bealey Ave.

From CAFCA

:This Bill is the culmination of the Government’s behind closed doors’ review of the country’s entire foreign investment regime. It aims to make even easier the takeover of New Zealand by transnational corporations. It does this by a number of measures, such as raising the threshold at which official consent is needed for a foreign takeover of an NZ business from $50 million to $100 million, and by abolishing the Overseas Investment Commission. As a sop to public outrage about the sale of NZ land to foreigners, there are some changes to the rules governing that. But these changes only make such sales a bit harder, they won’t actually stop them.

Speakers: Bill Rosenberg, of CAFCA & Sue Newberry, senior lecturer in accountancy, University of Canterbury.

They will give a detailed analysis of the Bill itself, and put it into its national and international context. This will be a campaigning meeting, and we will allow plenty of time for discussion of what people can do to fight the Bill, which is likely to be having its first debate in Parliament in the week of the meeting.

Visit CAFCA's resource page for in-depth analysis of the Bill.

Activism this week: 5th - 11th December

Thursday 9th December

Ahmed Zaoui demo

GreenPeace releases poison report

From GreenPeace:

On Thursday, we released a hard hitting report titled 'Nga Matitapu o te Hakino - People Poisoned Daily' at Parliament in Wellington.

The report shows how the whakapapa or 'genetic heritage' of New Zealanders has been contaminated by deadly dioxins released by Dow Agrosciences Ltd. in Paritutu, New Plymouth. You can download it from our website.

With the launch of the report we're asking that the Government acknowledge the problem by developing specialist health care centres and social services for people poisoned by dioxin, and that DOW set up a national fund to compensate the people and families who were poisoned by dioxin produced by the company.

Please support us and those people affected by using our easy online form to send a message to the Hon. Annette King, Minster of Health and Hon. Marion Hobbs, Minister of the Environment.

Thank you for your support!

All the best,

Nick Young
Webmanager
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand
www.greenpeace.org.nz

December 9th - Ahmed Zaoui demo

"When I think back to the ten and a half months in that prison (Paremoremo), I remember the days that were dead, full of darkness and silence. I could not see the sun, nor the stars and I almost forgot about the moon. I tasted different types of suffering which I did not know before. It was days and nights of empty everything. Nothing was with me except my belief in our God. I felt as if this ten and a half months was a page ripped from the book of my life." Ahmed Zaoui - 22 June 2004 affidavit to the High Court of New Zealand.

PUBLIC GALLERY SUPPORT FOR AHMED ZAOUI'S BAIL HEARING

Despite being granted refugee status, Ahmed Zaoui has been imprisoned on the basis that he may be a threat to national security. Mr Zaoui's bail application is being heard by our Supreme Court on Thursday 9 December 2004 because it is concerned that Mr Zaoui has been imprisoned for two years without any charges being laid. Despite an orchestrated campaign by the Security Intelligence Service alleging that he may have terrorist links, the Court has not received any written submissions opposing Mr Zaoui's bail.

Most of the correspondence received by Ahmed Zaoui is from Christchurch. We want Mr Zaoui, his legal team and all New Zealanders to know that he has our continued support. The treatment of Mr Zaoui by our government constitutes one of New Zealand's greatest travesties of justice.

When: Thursday, 9 December at 12 midday
Where: Cathedral Square
Why: Ahmed Zaoui's bail application is being heard in the Supreme Court in Wellington. We want to demonstrate the support he has in Christchurch.

Contact: Moana Cole w) 3777734 h) 386 1065

Easter 2005: Anti-Bases Campaign to Rally in Welly

The Anti-Bases Campaign (ABC) is doing something a little different after many years of protests at the Waihopai spybase, in Marlborough. They have decided to focus attention instead on Wellington. Why?

* Because it is the home to the headquarters of the NZ Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), New Zealand’s biggest and most secret spy agency. The GCSB operates the Waihopai and Tangimoana spybases on behalf of the foreign Powers grouped together in the super-secret UKUSA Agreement (which shares global electronic and signals intelligence among the intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and NZ).

* Because Wellington is the diplomatic and political capital of New Zealand. It is in Wellington, not the Waihopai Valley or Blenheim, that you will find the "movers and shakers" who, nominally or in reality, control New Zealand’s Intelligence agencies and foreign policy. There is a whole "Secret Wellington" to be explored and exposed. It is a secret world ranging from the HQ of the Security Intelligence Service, NZ’s best known spy agency, to the embassies of our Big Brothers, such as the US, UK and Australia.

* Because it is the closest main city to the "forgotten" Tangimoana spybase. Details about Tangimoana can be found on the ABC Website. Read about Tangimoana in Nicky Hager’s definitive book, "Secret Power: New Zealand’s Role In The International Spy Network" (Craig Potton Publishing, 1996).

Thus far, we propose the two days to include:

* A forum or seminar on the whole bases issue in New Zealand;

* one of our famous "Spies Picnics" in proximity to Freyberg (i.e. Spyberg) House, where the GCSB headquarters is located on the upper floors;

* a Tour of Secret Wellington, either conducted by the Wellingtonian who started them, world famous researcher, Nicky Hager, or by someone trained by him;

* and a one day field trip to the Tangimoana spybase, including a protest rally there.

The final programme, including times and venues, will be announced closer to the time.