Resistance in HONDURAS continues with marches and neighborhood actions

Credit: Prensa Latina By Prensa Latina [Havana] Published 18 AUG 2009 Tegucigalpa, 18 AUG (PL) Popular resistance against the coup d'état has now reached its 52nd consecutive day, with marches in the capital and actions to promote public awareness in neighborhoods, leaders of the movement announced Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres, from the leadership of the Frente Nacional contra el Golpe de Estado, explained that details of these demonstrations will be given in gathering places, for security reasons. She recalled that members of the armed forces and the police are following the demonstrations, as part of their repressive actions and harassment, for the sake of intimidation. The general coordination of the Frente, President of the Federación Unitaria de Trabajadores (FUTH), Juan Barahona, confirmed that this Tuesday, the gathering place of the opposition will be in the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional. The general secretary of the FUTH, Israel Salinas, specified that there the collective leadership of the Frente will adopt actions for the day, in an effort to obstruct repression. Salinas announced the 22nd communiqué form the Frente yesterday, in which popular organizations confirm that they will maintain peaceful resistance for the return of constitutional order and for the return of the President, Manuel Zelaya. The document also confirms the desire of those forces to call a Constituent Assembly to draw up a Magna Carta with changes in favor of the impoverished majorities and for a really participatory democracy. Indigenous leader Cáceres explained that among the actions in the neighborhoods, educational meetings with the population about the meaning and results of the June 28 military coup d'état were scheduled. The Frente announced a new way to express rejection of the coup plotters for next Wednesday: in the capital, a big caravan of vehicles, from bicycles to heavy trucks, "everything that rolls along and makes noise." Last Sunday, the alliance of popular organizations carried out a national assembly to analyze strategies of struggle, although it only announced a big concert next Sunday. During the 12-hour performance, beginning at 9 a.m., Honduran artists and those from other countries like Argentina, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Costa Rica, among them the popular group Los Guaraguao, will show up.

ARGENTINA: In Zanon, the capitalists have been expropriated!

[From http://www.ft-ci.org] [Cde Alejandro did most of the work on this translation. -- YM]

"Eight years have already passed: we do not want any more sweet talk we want expropriation!" roared the Zanon ceramics workers, accompanied by a big column of state workers, teachers, health workers, social organizations and leftist parties, on the way to the Neuquén legislature, where they would deal with the expropriation of the factory.

The Patagonian wind blew cold and strong, making the wait in front of the provincial Congress unbearable. The ceramics workers, who, eight years ago, dared and seized the plant, started it producing and made their epic a part of the best pages of working-class history of our country, were proudly singing, "Here they are, these are them, the workers of Zanon!" until their throats grew hoarse.

In the days before, Neuquén was a hotbed. Although the Governor had decided in favor of expropriation, complaints were heard from his own party, the MPN, from the right-wing opposition, and from the [union federation] CGT itself, because the factory was being handed over to "lefties," to "criminals." They did not spare any insult, in order to discredit the exemplary struggle of the ceramics workers. The CGT union bureaucracy and the Chamber of Commerce came out to prevent the expropriation from being approved. But they couldn't.

Videos: http://www.pts. org.ar/spip. php?article13388

The anti-coup resistance in HONDURAS has reached the 48th consecutive day

By Prensa Latina [Havana] Published 14 AUG 2009

Credit: Prensa Latina Tegucigalpa, 14 AUG (PL) Today the popular resistance against June 28 military coup in Honduras reached its 48th consecutive day, and its leaders assure the resistance will continue until the return of constitutional order. Yesterday, Juan Barahona, general coordinator of the Frente Nacional contra el Golpe de Estado, stated in a speech, "We will continue our peaceful struggle, because our force is moral, it is our resolve." The President of the Federación Unitaria de Trabajadores called for a gathering this Friday in front of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, occupied by the military two days ago, and until then, the usual site of meetings by the Resistance. Yesterday, thousands of people returned to the streets, amidst a climate of tension caused by a vast operation by the armed forces in the capital and the city of San Pedro Sula, 250 km to the north. The march by the Frente [the Resistance] was constantly watched by a large contingent of Cobras, special anti-riot corps, backed up by dozens of soldiers with firearms. However, members of the Discipline Committee did their utmost to prevent incidents with the troops that were guarding private businesses located along the route of the march, Prensa Latina stated. The main aim of the demonstration was to present charges of human rights' violations to the Public Prosecutor's Office, located in an exclusive neighborhood, Lomas del Guijarro, where soldiers were also deployed. The human rights' prosecutor, Sandra Ponce, received the charges of abuses and tortures suffered by those arrested and promised to take action on the matter. She confirmed that 27 people are still being held and are being charged with sedition, rebellion and even terrorism; all these charges are denied by the members of the Frente de Abogados contra el Golpe [a lawyers' organization against the coup d'état). A judicial hearing took place yesterday in the police station when they are jailed, and last night there were still no reports about the results of the hearing. Meanwhile, yesterday, the Comité de Organizaciones Populares e Indígenas charged that three of its members disappeared after being seen when they were arrested and identified the missing as Ramón García, Marlon René Calix y Julián Martínez.

New imperialist bases in COLOMBIA

From http://www.ft-ci.org
By Claudia Cinatti
Thursday, August 6, 2009

Álvaro Uribe has just signed a new agreement with Barack Obama for the installation of US soldiers in another seven bases on Colombian territory, that would substitute for the base at Manta, Ecuador, that the United States is vacating because of Rafael Correa's decision not to renew the lease which expired after ten years. In this way, Obama has asserted the military and political alliance with Uribe, one of Bush's main allies in the region.

With the excuse of the "fight against drug trafficking" under Clinton and with Bush's "war against terror," Colombia has become the main military concentration of the United States in Latin America, with thousands of agents, advisers, and intelligence services that have been devoted to training paramilitary militias and death squads, responsible for the assassinations of union leaders, campesinos and members of the FARC. The military incursion into Ecuadorean territory against a FARC camp in March 2008, in which Raúl Reyes was killed, was organized from these bases.

This policy of Uribe has caused tensions with other governments of the region. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez denounced it as a direct threat, and Brazil complained because it does not agree with the increase in the US military presence in the vicinity of the Amazon. Several Latin American governments, like that of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, are welcoming President Uribe, who organized a regional tour to reduce opposition to his military policy in view of the next meeting of UNASUR, which will be held in Quito on August 10.The expansion of the US military presence in Colombia, along with the role the United States is playing in supporting the coup participants in Honduras, shows that Obama's rhetoric and his alleged "good neighbor" policy are not even sufficient to cover the fact that US imperialism is seeking to reassert its regional power in Latin America, which it continues to consider as its backyard.

On August 5, a demonstration was held in Buenos Aires, repudiating Uribe's visit and the installation of new US military facilities, which constitute a concrete threat to all the peoples of the region. It is necessary to strengthen the mobilization throughout Latin America to expel imperialism from our continent.

In VENEZUELA, the draft law on "media crimes" is no longer current

LE MONDE.FR 06 AUG 09 13:55 hours • Updated 06 AUG 09 13:55 hours

By Marie Delcas, Bogota Correspondant

The media remain at the heart of Venezuelan political debate. Presented on Monday, August 3, a bill on "media crimes" was buried on Wednesday. "Examining it is not a topic," Ivan Zerpa, secretary general of the Assembly, specified. Several deputies from Chávez' majority had expressed their disagreement with the text, presented by the Republic's top prosecutor, Sra. Luisa Ortega.

But, during a press conference, President Hugo Chávez defended the need for the state to regulate press freedom. "While laws and a constitution exist, no freedom is without limits," the Chief of State recalled, on Wednesday. "If you want to live where there is no law, then go live with Tarzan in the jungle."

Frequencies not renewed

The bill proposed punishments of up to 4 years in prison for the authors of "false" or "manipulated" news undermining "social peace, national security, or public morality." The text caused an outcry among NGO's like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders. Anxiety of the media and of those who defend freedom of the press is accordingly more intense because, since Sunday, 32 radio stations and 2 local television stations have stopped broadcasting, the national television commission (Conatel) having decided not to renew their frequency. If the commission is to be believed, the punished operators had failed to observe technical and administrative standards. Some two hundred other radio and television stations could experience an identical fate.

The topic contributes to increasing the divisions in the country. President Hugo Chávez considers that privately-owned media -- that remain virulently opposed to him -- are in the hands of an reactionary, even pro-coup, oligarchy. For the opposition, on the other hand, the government is trying to muzzle the press and put an end to freedom of expression.

The tension makes itself felt in the street. On Tuesday, in the east of the country, a demonstration in support of one of the silenced radio stations turned into a confrontation between "chavistas" and "anti-chavistas." Ten people were injured. The day before, thirty supporters of President Hugo Chávez -- some of them armed -- had surrounded the headquarters of the Globovisión television channel, very critical of the government. Security cameras filmed the scene, the tear-gas grenades thrown by demonstrators and the presence among them of Lina Ron, leader of hard-line "chavismo."

The public prosecutor immediately ordered the arrest of the political leader. Hugo Chávez approved the measure and publicly condemned the attack against Globovisión headquarters. "Acts of this nature cannot be tolerated, whether they come from the opposition or not, from revolutionaries or from pseudo-revolutionaries or from whoever it might be," the Chief of State declared. On Wednesday, Lina Ron surrendered to the authorities.

Globovisión is the object of five administrative processes and one judicial investigation for "incitement to violence."

Chavistas physically attack TV station in VENEZUELA

[Incredibly, it is not enough for Chávez and chavistas that the pro-censorship Venezuelan government has just shut down dozens of media outlets and threatens to silence 200 more. Chávez' followers have now launched a (first) terrorist attack on a dissident TV station, and even that is not sufficient. As reported below, the National Assembly is now discussing a law that would put journalists in jail for publishing criticism of great leader Chávez. What Chávez worshippers refuse to understand is that such repressive legislation can always easily be used against workers' organizations and the left. That's why it must be opposed. -- YM]

[From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8184671.stm]

Page last updated at 23:40 GMT, Tuesday, 4 August 2009 00:40 UK

Chavez backer held over TV attack

A pro-government activist in Venezuela has handed herself over to the authorities a day after a violent attack on an opposition TV station.

President Hugo Chavez said left-wing militant Lina Ron, who has been one of his most ardent supporters, would now face the full weight of the law.

He deplored the attack on Globovision TV, and said it would help his opponents brand him as a tyrant.

More than 30 people stormed the station in Caracas, firing tear gas.

"She [Lina Ron] handed herself in, and it's good that she presented herself, and has been arrested. There was no other alternative," Mr Chavez said.

He described the attack as a "counter-revolutionary" act, saying that it "gives the enemy weapons to attack me even more as a tyrant".

The attackers have been identified by officials as activists from from the Union Patriotica Venezolana (UPV), which supports Mr Chavez.

Globovision, which has been highly critical of President Chavez, is facing several investigations that could also take it off air.

New media bill

Monday's attack came as the arguments over control of the media in Venezuela became increasingly bitter.

Thirty-four radio stations were ordered off air after the government said they were in breach of the rules for registering or had allowed their broadcast licences to expire. Some 200 other stations are under investigation.

The government in Caracas says it is trying to make the media more democratic.

"The state is retaking control of concessions that were being used in an illegal way over more than 30 and 40 years," said Public Works Minister Diosdado Cabello, who is the head of the telecommunications agency.

"It's an act of justice."

But critics say the move is aimed at giving more space to media that support Mr Chavez and is an attempt to muzzle any critical voices.

Venezuela's National Assembly is due on Tuesday to begin discussing legislation under which journalists could be imprisoned for up to four years for broadcasting or publishing material that attacks "the peace, security, and independence of the nation and the institutions of the state".

Venezuela still has many private radio stations and newspapers that are stridently opposed to the president but in recent years the government has built up its network of state-run media.

VENEZUELA: The government occupies coffee factories

[Webster defines a quintal, a measure used in the following story, as 100 kilograms, i.e., 220.46 pounds. The nationalizations mentioned in the second paragraph were actually purchases by the Chávez government, at very generous prices, of energy and telecommunications firms. As the story indicates, the occupations of the coffee production factories will be temporary. Chávez has great respect for the sanctity of private ownership of the means of production; one can see that from the fact that after ten years of Chávez in power, Venezuelan workers are still exploited by capitalists. So if the coffee industry is nationalized, the owners will undoubtedly get very, very large compensation for their factories, which proves, once again, that chavismo is simply a lot of flatulent rhetoric, nothing more. Where workers have, in fact, recovered owner-abandoned enterprises and restarted those factories under workers' self-management, as in the case of Sanitarios Maracay, the Chávez government refused to nationalize those enterprises. Just last month, workers from the Vivex enterprise, occupied by its workers for 7 months, marched all the way from Barcelona, Venezuela, to Caracas, 300 kilometers in 12 days, hoping to be allowed to talk to Chávez and persuade him to nationalize their enterprise; those workers were apparently never received by the Venezuelan President. For details, see http://venezuela.elmilitante.org/content/view/6533/164/-- YM]

Venezuela : The government occupies coffee production factories
LEMONDE.FR with AFP 03.08.09 17:24 hours

On the morning of Monday, August 3, Venezuela's socialist [sic] govenment ordered the temporary occupation of the factories of two local coffee producers, accused especially of fraudulent and "monopolistic" practices at the root of the shortage of this product in the country.

"The Bolivarian government has occupied all the factories in the country of the company Fama de América and of Café Madrid, to guarantee supplies for the Venezuelan people," the Minister of Agriculture, Elías Jaua, explained to state-run television. These occupations come within the scope of the law on food sovereignty, promulgated at the end of last year by the antiliberal President Hugo Chávez, who is strengthening control over production by food companies, in order to fight against shortages. As part of his socialist revolution [sic], the Venezuelan President has already nationalized several key sectors of the economy, like energy or telecommunications.

Disloyal and monopolistic practices

According to an association, Alianza Agroalimentaria, coffee production went from 1,400,000 quintals in 1998 to 900,000 today. The Minister indicated that the occupation of the factories should last three months, the time to carry out a complete audit of the two enterprises. "If we could show that smuggling, retentions, disloyal and monopolistic practices had taken place, we could consider nationalization of these enterprises," he specified.

In recent months, the Venezuelan government has ordered the occupation and expropriation of several enterprises producing staples, like rice or pasta, in an attempt to put an end to chronic shortages. Since 2003, the biggest Latin American oil exporter has put in place a strict regime of price control for staple foods. Food producers regularly denounce this measure, asserting that prices do not even cover their production costs.