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  • Philippines: Police, armed thugs attack peasants during typhoon tragedy

    Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Nov. 19 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)

    Condemn destruction of farms, attacks against peasants in Luisita during height of Yolanda tragedy — CPP

    The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today denounced the Aquino regime and the Aquino-Cojuangco landlord clan for destroying several hectares of land planted with fruit trees and vegetables in the collective farms being cultivated by peasant masses in Hacienda Luisita.

    “The Aquino-Cojuangco clan, through the Tarlac Development Corporation (Tadeco) and Hacienda Luisita Inc., with the support and protection of the police forces of the Aquino regime, had the bungkalan areas destroyed using bulldozers manned by armed guards on 12 November, at the height of the tragedy wrought by supertyphoon Yolanda in the Visayas” said the CPP, citing field reports.

    “While all of the Filipino people’s attention was geared towards extending assistance to the victims of the Yolanda tragedy, the Aquino-Cojuangcos were insidiously carrying out their plan to drive away the several hundred peasant workers from the land they have long been cultivating,” said the CPP.

    “According to reports of local residents, the Aquino-Cojuangco clan ordered the uprooting of trees and crops in the 880-hectare land within the scope of Barangay Balete and Barangay Cutcut,” said the CPP. Tadeco has also filed trumped-up charges of trespassing against at least 80 peasant workers in the area.

    “The day after, at least 60 armed goons of Tadeco demolished the homes and other structures built by the peasant masses in the area, causing injuries to peasant leader Florida Sibayan, her siblings and their 76-year old mother, when they were violently shoved by the armed goons,” pointed out the CPP. “Aquino’s national police force were behind the Tadeco armed goons all the while they were attacking the peasant workers.”

    The peasants of Hacienda Luisita have long been asserting ownership of the 4,500-hectare sugar estate. In 2005, members of the Alyansa ng mga Mabubukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala or Peasant Alliance in Hacienda Luisita) started to collectively cultivate several hundred hectares of land to grow fruit trees and vegetables for their own consumption and to supply the market.

    Despite successive land reform laws, Hacienda Luisita has largely remained under the control of the Aquino-Cojuangco landlord clan. The current Philippine reactionary president, Benigno Aquino III, is a scion of the Aquino-Cojuangcos.

  • I Want To Know What Are My Legal Rights

    I am an Indian worker and have been working as a waiter in a restaurant for the last 4 years (since February 2009). My company does not follow the labour law, so there is no notice period, no service, no indemnity, no paid leave, no weekly off … practically nothing. I am getting only my salary without any other benefits. I was hired directly from India on a commercial visit visa and then within three months I was transferred to a company visa. I am not happy with my current job.

    So I have been trying to find a better job in another company. But the problem is that I can’t get a release from my company because they do not release their employees, and also I don’t know about my contract as our company did not give us a copy. I want to know what are my legal rights and how can I get a release from my company without any trouble as also they are said to have a very big wasta in the Kuwaiti government.

    Name withheld 

    Answer: The company can’t stop you from resigning because you have already spent more than the required three years for such a transfer if you are hired from abroad. That is the law. If the company refuses to release you, file a case immediately with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, through the Labour Office in your area. If you feel that your sponsor is using wasta (influence) to obstruct the proceedings, you can also file a case in court against your firm. While filing the case with the Labour Office, don’t forget to claim all your rights—money for all the days off, weekends, overtime etc for which you were not paid.

  • Communist Party of Iran (Marxist Leninist Maoist) :On the execution of Kurdish and Baluchi youth in Iran

    Communist Party of Iran (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist)حزب کمونیست ایران (مارکسیست-لنینیست-مائوئیست18 November 2013. The following statement was issued by the Communist Party of Iran (Marxist Leninist Maoist). Since then the Islamic Republic of Iran has continued this wave of executions in Kurdistan and other regions of Iran. (cpimlm.com) Habibullah Golparipour, a young Kurdish activist who has been in

  • Tribute to Comrade Francisca C. Fanggidaej, Indonesian revolutionary and valued friend of the Filipino people

     

    We honor Comrade Francisca C. Fanggidaej as an exemplary Indonesian freedom fighter, a proletarian revolutionary, and a valued friend of the Filipino people.

     

     

    MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCES By LUIS G. JALANDONI NDFP Chief International Representative 17 November 2013
     

    Tribute to Comrade Francisca C. Fanggidaej, Indonesian revolutionary and valued friend of the Filipino people

  • Kashmir – The Struggle Continues

    See Also:
    http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/azadi-only-way-delhi-convention-on.html

    Historic conflict remains a dangerous source of tension between nuclear armed neighbors India and Pakistan

  • Jeremy Hammond – Chris Hedges and Jeremy Hammonds Mother speak out in Defence of a True Hero of the People

    “Without people of conscience like Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange and Jeremy Hammond there would be no Free Press”

    We at Democracy and Class Struggle put it a slightly different interpretation on the above quote – we see a global strategy of exposure has being a necessity to answer the global strategy of tension led by United States Imperialism.

    See Also:
    http://

  • Raids, rallies mark Child Rights week

    VISAKHAPATNAM: City-based NGOs and government departments have stepped up activities like raids and rallies to curb child labour in the run up to Children’s Day and Child Rights Week, which will be celebrated from November 14-21.
    After rescuing over 100 child labourers in the last two months, the woman and child welfare department along with police, labour department and NGO Childline, is planning to conduct raids in city and outskirts this month, while NGO Nature and Bala Vikas Foundation have been busy organising various programmes, workshops and rallies propagating child rights.

    NGO Nature, in their weeklong campaign for child rights in all mandal headquarters between November 14-20, is propagating Child Protection Act, distributing education material and organising 1,200 village level rallies in collaboration with organisations such as Unicef, Save the Children, AP chapter of RTE Forum, and others. “Three workshops on ‘Stop violence against children’, child rights violation and dissemination of information on child rights are in the offing during the week,” stated S Balaraju, director, Nature NGO.

    Meanwhile, to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Moulana Abul Kalam Azad,, who was the first education minster of free India,National Education Day was observed at Child Labour School run by Bala Vikas Foundation in the city on Monday. P Satya Prasad, district sainik welfare officer was the chief guest at the programme, where Narava Prakasa Rao, founder and honorary secretary of BVF, spoke to the children about Maulana Azad and asked them to study his biography. Books and study material were distributed among the children.

    Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-12/visakhapatnam/43978914_1_child-rights-child-labour-school-labour-department

  • Panel suggests flexible labour laws in its report to Cab Sec

    New Delhi: A government panel has suggested flexible labour laws and simplified taxation system, among other things, to improve manufacturing in small units.

    The inter-ministerial committee (IMC), headed by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Secretary Madhav Lal, has submitted its report to Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth.

    The panel was set up to look into issues faced by MSME units and suggest ways to boost manufacturing in the sector.

    Besides flexible labour laws, the committee also suggested ensuring easy flow of credit to the sector, simplified taxation system, improved infrastructure and effective marketing techniques for improving manufacturing activities in the sector, a senior official said.

    The MSME sector has been witnessing a slow growth phase with its share of exports falling from 40 percent to 36 percent in the last two years, official said.

    Also, exiting unviable units is a cumbersome procedure for entrepreneurs as the existing insolvency laws do not support them.

    The MSME Ministry, however, expects that the trend would change if necessary steps are initiated.
    The share of MSMEs is targeted to increase up to 50 percent in the country’s total exports during the 12th Plan (2012-17).

    The MSME sector contributes over 8 percent to India’s GDP and accounts for 45 percent of manufacturing sector. There are about 3.6 crore such MSMEs, employing over 8 crore people.

    The country’s manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 percent of the index of industrial production (IIP), grew meagre by 0.6 percent in September as against a decline of 1.6 percent a year ago.

    “The IMC is looking at the entire issue from the perspective of the life cycle of MSMEs like what kind of assistance they require at the stage of the start-up and what is that they require for doing business or expanding it,” the official said.

    The panel has also suggested simplification of rules for entry of small units along with creating an efficient framework for exit of sick units.

    IMC members, besides Lal, are Textiles Secretary Zohra Chatterji, Secretary in the Ministry of Labour M Sarangi and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Saurabh Chandra. 

    Source:http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/economy/panel-suggests-flexible-labour-laws-in-its-report-to-cab-sec_88970.html

  • Anti-drone summit energizes the fight against Boeing warmakers

    Washington, DC – 400 people gathered at an international summit in Washington D.C. to oppose the use of drones by the U.S. government. The summit was hosted by Code Pink and featured Medea Benjamin, activist and author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control. Many activists and organizers came to hear experts and share experiences in building the movement against U.S. drone warfare. Many were excited to hear academic and author Cornel West.

    People came from as far away as Pakistan and Afghanistan to attend. One panel “View From Yemen” featured an attorney, a politician and a family member whose relatives were killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.

    Kait McIntyre, a member of the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, presented on their campaign, “No Killer Drone for Boeing,” an effort to stop the Boeing corporation from obtaining the U.S. Navy’s killer drone contract. In the workshop titled “Activism: From Boardrooms to Bases,” McIntyre relayed lessons from the campaign and the Sept. 28-29 Midwest Action Against Drones, the largest U.S. demonstration against drones, that took place outside Boeing headquarters in Chicago.

    Holly Kent-Payne, another Anti-War Committee-Chicago member and attendee, was glad to discuss the Anti-War Committee’s campaign and is looking forward to applying what she’s learned to upcoming protests against the Boeing Corporation. “We must continue connecting people’s concerns about school closings, lack of employment and other social issues with demands to end U.S. war.”

    Members of the Minnesota-based Anti-War Committee also attended the summit.

  • Sri Lanka :- Grave Failure by Commonwealth in 2013 – Grave Failure by United Nations in 2009

    Democracy and Class Struggle says the Final communique of nineteen pages of the CHOGM summit in Colombo Sri Lanka has not mentioned human rights in Sri Lanka at all. 
    This is Cameron and Hague being exposed again and again for hypocrisy, for talk but no action. Mass Murderer Mahinda Rajapaksa, is scheduled to assume the role of the chair of the Commonwealth next year thanks to people like