__________________________________________________________________

Summarizing
Philippine Elections 2010

enigno Noynoy Aquino III emerged as the biggest winner in the Elections
2010. But backed by US imperialists and local elites during the campaign, will
he be a champion against the neo-liberal and anti-democratic policies of the
past regime?

With Aquinos inauguration as the 15th Philippine President, the challenge to punish
Gloria Arroyo and do a reversal of her policies begin to hound him.

Widest Mass Support

The entire National Democratic bloc still held the widest mass support with the
combined votes it received. Makabayan which represents the National Democratic
bloc includes the partylist winners Anakpawis (one seat), Bayan Muna (two seats,
Gabriela (three seats), ACT (one seat), Kabataan (one seat), and those that did not
win but still got a significant number of votes, the Katribu and Akap-Bata.

Anti-left propagandists described the electoral results to mean decreased public

support for the movement. The truth is, despite vote-shaving and the blatant redbaiting campaign of the ruling elites, the progressive bloc continued to gain
supporters and had amassed higher votes compared to previous elections. Even
under attack, Makabayan still got an estimated ten per cent of the nationwide voters.
The Anakpawis Partylist, supported by the genuine and militant trade unions and
workers organizations, received hundreds of thousands votes enough to garner one
seat in Congress. Its failure to get two seats, as in the past, was largely attributed to
the voters turn-out that had shoot up affecting results for partylist elections.
Makabayan candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza did not win, but had gathered
millions of votes unheard-of for the National Democratic candidates in the history
of senatorial elections.
Technology for the Ruling Elite
Philippines held its first-ever automated elections. The government and the media
boasted of the new technology, the Automated Election System or AES. However,
reports undermined the massive disenfranchisement. Thousands of poor people
were unable to vote due to the malfunctioning of hundreds of machines. Possible
cheating schemes had also been downplayed.
For now, hard evidence is lacking to prove the possibility that the voting was preprogrammed using the new technology. But the results were doubted as analysts and
political groups marked the various irregularities.
Noted irregularities during the elections :
1. The turn-out of votes was four times larger than the number registered in the
central computer of Comelec.
2. Upon reading the result, it showed that the huge number of partylist voters were
statistically improbable compared to the small percent of voters awareness.
3. On the election day itself, Comelec Chairman Jose Melo started announcing
results at 6:30 PM when in fact it announced earlier that the voting will be extended
till 7:00 PM. There were also reports of PCOS machines having difficulty giving
results. How did the chairman get quick results when many machines were
encountering difficulty sending data?
4. All over the country, there were reports of the PCOS machines jamming for
several hours. It is highly questionable that the 76,000 PCOS machines have actually
delivered results.
5. Weeks before the elections, reporters discovered the entry of many gadgets for
jamming signal. Many groups warned that these will be used to block the sending of
the true results.

6. There were 60 PCOS machines discovered in the house of a Smartmatic

technician. Many speculated that these were used to send fake results to Comelecs
central computer. It was discovered that the machines were sending results from
May 9 to May 11. Note that the election was held on May 10.
7. Comelec did not scrutinize the program that the AES flash cards contain.
Problems with the AES flash cards were discovered one week before the elections.
The commissioner gave the command to destroy the flash cards instead of studying
them first. Even the new ones that were used did not undergo scrutiny.
8. Sacks of AES flash cards and ballots were discovered in Mindanao, specifically in
Cagayan de Oro.
Comelec, known for manipulating election results, was the only body that could
verify cheatings. It can be recalled that one of Comelecs previous controversies, the
Hello Garci controversy, involved the commissioner himself assuring President
Arroyos victory with votes coming from a distant province in Mindanao. Could the
Comelec suddenly be a trust-worthy body with a change in the voting mechanism?
The Automated Election System had indeed made voting easier and had given results
quicker. But the reality is that neither the ruling elite nor the US imperialists backing
it will allow something as big as the tool for elections to be used against their
interests. In the end, technology can be more harmful than useful unless controlled
by the people.

New President
President Noynoy Aquino is the son of the late President Cory Aquino. The latter is
the main figure of opposition during the last years of Marcos dictatorship.
Though lacking a good track record during his years as a congressman and senator,
Aquino's popularity rose after the death of his mother last year. The large number of
marchers during the wake gave a strong signal to the Arroyo ruling clique that the
Filipino people still resist repression.
Noynoy Aquinos strong anti-Arroyo stance during the election campaign won him
public approval, despite the fact that his programs lack genuine democratic reforms.
His rival Senator Manny Villar expressed more support for the programs of
Makabayan Coalition, but was weak in attacking the outgoing administration. The
difference between the two contenders for presidency proved to be crucial because
Arroyo was perceived as the main enemy of the people.
But the actual number of votes that Aquino received was questioned by many
groups. Aside from the reported irregularities, there was a low chance for Estrada
(second placer in the presidential race) to lose in areas where he proved to have the
highest supporters based on recent surveys and previous elections. Chances were
also low for Villar (third placer) to get a very low turn-out, close to that of
Makabayan Senate candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza; with Villar having
massive resources for campaign and mass media exposure.

US Hand in the Elections

Imperialism played a hand in all previous Philippine elections. Giving power to a
local puppet always had a main role in protecting imperialist interests. The US
would not have let this one pass without intervening. In fact, it needed a fresh look
to implement its old policies.
The struggle for change in the country had just taken a new phase. There is a new
president backed by imperialists. Aquino was clearly anointed by US: International
news portrayed him as the new leader at the beginning of the campaign. And, before
the counting was closed officially, the US congratulated him through the imperialist
mass media and the international organizations controlled by big foreign capitalists.
The US ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. even went to Aquinos house to congratulate
him.
What the early announcement did was to legitimize the victory of Aquino and to
undermine rising protests on the conduct and result of the elections.
The presidential result in favor of Aquino was hyped to show strong mandate; a
stance the US-Noynoy Aquino regime will need to counter dissent that is sure to
break out in the near future if he does not prove to be the opposite of Arroyo.
Challenging the President
Kilusang Mayo Uno is challenging Aquino to prove he is a true champion of
democracy by punishing the outgoing dictator and reversing her anti-people policies.
Its specific calls are:
(1) Punish Arroyo for all her crimes against the people.
(2) Immediately free all political prisoners which include the 43 health workers and
labor leader Vincent Ka Bebot Borja.
(3) Junk the wage freeze policy. Support the passage of the P125 wage increase
across the board nationwide.
(4) Control the price of basic commodities and junk the anti-deregulation law.
(5) Junk 12% value added tax or E-VAT for the immediate relief of the people
stricken by the crisis.
(6) Junk the Epira (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) and the Oil Deregulation
Law
(7) Prioritize the budget for education, health service and other social services.
(8) Junk contractualization policies and other flexible work arrangements such as
reduced work hours, job rotation and forced leave.
(8) Junk the Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) Order that is used by the secretary of
the Dole (Department of Labor and Employment) to violently disperse strikes.
Remove military and police forces from workplaces.
(9) Junk Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2 and other similar programs that suppress
criticisms against the government. Punish all military and police officials responsible
for human rights violations. Included here is Arroyo-acclaimed military official Gen.
Jovito Palparan, who gained infamy for butchering activists.
(10) Junk the Visiting Forces Agreement that permits the entry of US troops. Uphold
national sovereignty.#

__________________________________________________________________
Workers Pressure Dole Philippines to Stop Union-Busting

The National Federation of Labor Unions-KMU (NAFLU-KMU) picketed DOLE

Philippines main office in Makati on June 18 to condemn the companys continued
harassment and union busting, despite a Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) order for
a status quo.
Dole Philippines has thrown support to UR Dole, a management-backed union, in
its efforts to divide the membership and discredit the existing union AMADO
KADENA-NAFLU-KMU (AK-NAFLU-KMU).
Last February 13, UR Dole convened an illegal general assembly and impeached
the incumbent union officers in a bogus special election. Immediately after this
sham election, no less than the Dole Philippines lawyer officiated the oath-taking of
the alleged new set of officers. The company also stopped remitting the union
dues to AK-NAFLU-KMU and instead released it to UR Dole in an effort to cripple
the latters operations.
AK-NAFLU-KMU submitted a petition at the BLR to declare null and void the
special general assembly and all the resolutions passed thereon, including the
impeachment of the incumbent officers. Through consistent collective action and
lobbying, their petition was granted. The BLR order stated that the parties to the
instant case are hereby enjoined to observe the status quo ante or the state of things
prior to the happening of the controversy. The order, issued on March 18, was
signed by Circuit Mediator-Arbiter Angelo M. Raagas.
The general assembly which UR-Dole and the Dolefil management convened was illegal. You
dont convene workers in a general assembly if you are not their union officials. You dont impeach
incumbent officials without due process. And you dont go on electing yourself through an illegal
general assembly, said Antonio Tony Pascual, NAFLU-KMU secretary-general.
AK-NAFLU-KMU has been consistently militant in asserting higher wages, security
of work, and trade-union rights. This is the reason why the Dole Philippines
management is working all-out to bust the local union.
Dole Philippines has connived with military units in South Cotabato in maligning
Amado Kadena and KMU, linking it to rebel groups. Military officials have publicly
accused union officers of recruiting for the armed group New Peoples Army and
providing material support for the Communist Party of the Philippines. Since 2007,
Dole management openly supported military seminars which were simply
indoctrination session against AK-NAFLU-KMU. Military personnel, UR-Dole and
the anti-communist group Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) were
the lecturers in these forums. The company even pays an additional amount
equivalent to 3-days pay just to encourage workers to attend these seminars.

All these are clear violations of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and
SA8000 standard. Dole Philippines, by agreeing to be certified SA8000 compliant,
promised to uphold the highest labor standards by respecting workers rights at work,
including the right to choose representatives and to bargain collectively without fear,
interference, or retaliation. Dole has promised to uphold the CBA and ensure that
workers are not discriminated against for any reason, including for reasons of
political beliefs; and to ensure that workers enjoy decent working conditions.
With the BLR status quo order, management should maintain its recognition of the Amado
Kadena union and stop efforts to bust and sabotage its existence, Pascual said
DoleFil Workers also aired their demands to the new Aquino administration, saying
that to uphold workers rights to decent wages, job security, and union formation are
basic rights long denied under the Arroyo administration.
Aquino has been very well backed by big business groups in his electoral campaign, and hails from
a corporate elite family. It is a big challenge on how he will stand between corporate and workers
interests, Pascual added. #

__________________________________________________________________
KMU statement on the meager P22 wage increase

The P22 wage hike in the National Capital Region which was approved recently by
the NCR wage board is a clear insult to the Filipino workers and people. The amount
is too meager; it won't even improve the capacity of workers and their families to
meet their everyday needs.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), which filed the petition for
this increase in the long-discredited regional wage boards and is therefore partially
responsible for this insult, cannot and does not even claim credit for this paltry
increase in wages.
Now, after the regional wage boards have again demonstrated their long-proven
imbecility when it comes to giving substantial wage increases to workers, the TUCP
is making noises, drumming up its campaign for a legislated P75 across-the-board
wage increase nationwide.
The TUCP is trying to make it appear that this new campaign is a reaction to the
meager P22 wage increase in NCR. But a legislated P75 across-the-board wage
increase nationwide, if it is approved, is also too meager and will be an added insult
to the Filipino workers and people.
Judging, however, from its track record of blatant collaboration with big capitalists
and the government, the TUCP's call will be used to sabotage the Filipino workers'
long-standing call for a legislated substantial that is, P125 across-the-board wage
increase nationwide.

The TUCP's call will be used to deny workers any wage increase in the coming years.
Or to give workers another paltry increase that will be used as an occasion by
capitalists and the government to make a scene and prevent a substantial across-theboard hike nationwide.
The TUCP is again being a tool of capitalists and the government in trying to divide
the Filipino workers and people in our fight for a substantial wage increase and to
further push down our wage levels.
TUCP is an anti-worker labor center. Workers should condemn its connivance with
the administration on its anti-worker policies.#

__________________________________________________________________

Condemn the Killing of Edward Panganiban

Kilusang Mayo Uno condemns in the strongest terms the killing of Eduard
Panganiban, a labor leader in the Southern Tagalog region. He was on his way to
work aboard a motorcycle when he was gunned down by motorcycle-riding men at
5:20 pm, in Barangay Caingin, Sta. Rosa, Laguna last June 3. He died on the spot,
sustaining
12
gunshot
wounds
in
his
body.

Panganiban, 27, is the secretary of the independent Samahan ng mga Manggagawa

sa Takata Philippines(Salamat-Independent). For five years now, he has been an
employee of Japanese-owned Takata Philippines Corporation, which manufactures
airbags and car seatbelts and is located at the Laguna Technology Park
Incorporated.
While he leads an independent union, Panganiban maintained good relations with
our Southern Tagalog regional formation Pamantik, or the Pagkakaisa ng
Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan. As a genuine labor leader, he
found common cause with labor formations that uphold militant and nationalist
trade
unionism.
His death shows that the US-Arroyo regime is willing to assassinate not just KMU

leaders, organizers and activists. It is willing to kill even independent labor leaders
who have shown honesty and genuine leadership in fighting for workers
rights. For the US-Arroyo regime, it appears that a good unionist should sooner
or
later
be
a
dead
one.

His death once again calls the publics attention to the very repressive atmosphere
prevailing in special economic zones such as the Laguna Techno Park. These havens
of cheap and contractual labor have established themselves as centers of union
busting as well, with extrajudicial killings fast becoming a weapon of choice against
unionists.
His death could only highlight the ruthlessness of the US-Arroyo regime and its
military hitmen. They are still conducting extrajudicial killings even when they are
slated to be replaced by a new regime soon. It was Mrs. Arroyo herself who greenlighted the killings of trade unionists when she labeled us as factory terrorists.
Panganibans death stresses the enormous challenges facing the incoming regime of
presumptive president-elect Noynoy Aquino. Not only must he remain corruptionfree, but he must also reverse Arroyos policies. In the field of human rights,
he must put an immediate end to extrajudicial killings, abductions and
other
human
rights
violations.
Panganibans death puts another exclamation point to the call for justice, for Arroyo
to be punished for her numerous grave crimes against the Filipino workers and
people. Ordering and funding extrajudicial killings, abductions and other
human rights violations is just one of her many grave crimes. She must be put
to
jail
for
all
of
these.

This case comes at a time when the International Labor Conference is at its
99th session, discussing trade-union rights. Meanwhile the Committee on Freedom
of Association is slated to convene on June 3. We hope to raise the issue of
Panganibans killing in these venues to gather international support for
our
fight
against
extrajudicial
killings.
The case is another proof of the US-Arroyo regimes disregard for International
Labor Organization Convention 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the
Right to Organize) and 98 (Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining) for which
the ILO sent a high-level mission to the country last year which was welcomed by
the regime.
(The National Coalition for the Protection of Worker's Rights in Southern Tagalog
and the Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights (SIGTUR) is
appealing to the different workers and peoples organizations in condemning extrajudicial killings. Sign online petition at www.sigtur.com.)

__________________________________________________________________
Stop Delaying Tactics! Free Ka Bebot Borja!

Three years after Vincent Ka Bebot Borja was illegally arrested, there is still no
hearing on his case. The charge against him is weak and the single witness accusing
him has mendacious accusations.
This June, the case was transferred to the Tacloban Regional Trial Court. This means
a new judge will preside on the case. Nonetheless, Ka Bebots petition for bail has
been submitted for resolution. Even with a new judge, the decision should still stand
and the new judge should immediately decide on the case.
We should condemn the prolonged detention of Ka Bebot. The manner of arrest
executed by the 19th Infantry Battalion last May 7, 2007 was illegal and was intended
to eliminate the people that are tagged by the military as a communist leader or
supporter. The charges against Ka Bebot were fabricated to stop his advocacy in
trade union and human rights work.
Free Ka Bebot Borja now!
Let us show our solidarity to Ka Bebot by sending letters of appeal such as the
following:
Letter of appeal to judge to hear immediately the case
Hon. Salvador Apurillo
Apolinario Buaya, Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court, Branch 8, Bulwagan ng
Katarungan, Magsaysay Blvd. Tacloban City, Leyte

Letter of appeal to prosecutor to immediately drop the case

Atty. Roselo U. Vivero, Officer in Charge, Office of the City Prosecutor, Imelda
Blvd. Ormoc City, Leyte
Letter of appeal to the 19th IB which arrested Ka Bebot and asked the
prosecutor to file a motion a transfer of jail location far from Ka Bebots
hometown
Lt. Col. Roberto Capulong, Commander, 19th Infantry Battalion Philippine Army
19th IB Headquarters, Brgy. Agiting, Kananga, Leyte
Letter of appeal to the Commission on Human Rights to investigate the
violations of human rights in the conduct of his arrest as well as violation to
Ka Bebots right to a speedy trial
Atty. Paquito Nacino, Director, CHR Region 8, P. Paterno St., Tacloban City, Leyte
email: chrtac8@yahoo.com
Please send a soft copy of your letters to kmu.intl@gmail.com. Visit
www.freekabebot.wordpress.com.

__________________________________________________________________

Jobs and Justice

From April 30 to May 6, KMU held its 26th International Solidarity Affair (ISA) in
Manila, Philippines.
Participants to the ISA activities came from Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark,
Canada, US, Hong Kong China, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany and South
Korea.
The ISA is a yearly activity aimed at gathering workers, trade unions and workers
organizations, and labor advocates to discuss issues and share experiences of
resistance against capitalist onslaught and to find a common platform of cooperation
aimed at strengthening international workers solidarity.
Jobs for All, Not Jobs for Profit was this years theme as the global financial and
economic crisis continues to take its toll on the workers of the world.

Workers in different countries reported various forms of attack on wages and

benefits, on job security and trade union rights. They discussed imperialist
globalization and its destructive effects on labor, citing massive retrenchment,
different forms of violence and the destruction of environment as the worse effects
of imperialist attacks to protect their profits. Delegates affirmed the right to decent
wages, the right to assembly, and the right to unionize.
On May Day, the ISA delegates marched with the 30,000-throng of workers and
activists in the National Capital Region. Unmindful of the searing heat of the sun,
they chanted Long live international solidarity in their local languages while
carrying their respective union banners. At the program in Liwasang (Plaza)
Bonifacio, Richard Stone of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU)
delivered a speech on behalf of the ISA delegation. All delegates went up the stage to
show their solidarity to the Filipino people.
A forum on the Capitalist Crisis and the Socialist Response was held on May 6,
with Mr. Bobby Tuazon from the Center for People Empowerment in Governance
(CENPEG) and Mr. Luke Coxon from the National Distribution Union (New
Zealand) and Philippine Solidarity Network of Aoteroa as speakers. Panel of
reactors included Ms. Johnna Mortensen of the Internationalt Forum and Mr. Gill
Boehringer, a retired professor from Australia. The forum discussed the greed of
capitalists to push enhanced profitability amid financial crisis. It showed the example
of the different National Liberation Movements in combating the crisis with
resistance.
A solidarity action was conducted after the forum to call for the immediate release of
labor organizer Vincent Ka Bebot Borja from prison. Delegates lighted candles
forming the words Free and carried placards in front of the Sunken Garden in the
University of the Philippines Diliman campus. They also signed messages of support
in a piece of white cloth to be sent to Ka Bebot.
The ISA activities ended with a solidarity night with country delegation performing
cultural numbers. In his closing speech, KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog expressed
hope that the experiences and lessons learned from the ISA will not go to naught.
He called on the ISA delegates to make their share in strengthening workers unity
amid global economic crisis. #

__________________________________________________________________
Israels Aggression

On May 31, 2010, a flotilla or fast ship was quietly heading Gaza when two missile
boats carrying about 20 combat Israeli soldiers attacked it. Elite Israeli commandos
boarded Mavi Marmara, one of the six-boat Freedom Flotilla of approximately 700
humanitarian workers bringing aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Nine Turkish activists were killed and dozens were injured. Reports said all were shot
at close range. One of the fatalities, 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, was shot five times
from the distance of not more than 43 centimeters. Five were shot either in the back
of the head or the back of the body, indicating that they were moving away from
their Israeli attackers, not towards them.

Israel justified the attack as merely preventing the entry of weapons to Gaza, a
Hamas-territory. Reports from Israel even spread a video clip of a passenger
attacking the soldier with a knife. The Israeli Defense Forces said the IDF naval
soldiers was forced to use riot dispersal means after they were met with live fire
and weaponry including knives and clubs upon boarding the ship. Danny Ayalon,
Israeli deputy foreign minister, also claimed at a press conference that the
organizers are well known for their ties to global jihad, Al Qaeda and Hamas.
But the Freedom flotilla is not a warship. It is a humanitarian mission carrying some
10,000 tons of aid including medicines and construction materials for the people of

Gaza whose lives are adversely affected by continued Israeli occupation and
blockade. It is an international solidarity action led by the Free Gaza Movement and
the Turkish organization Insani Yardim Vakfi. The Freedom Flotilla represented 40
countries and its participants included prominent personalities such as Irish Nobel
Peace laureate Mairead Maguire, former UN assistant secretary general Denis
Halliday, Malaysian MP Mohd Nizar bin Zakaria and 85-year-old Holocaust survivor
Hedy Epstein.
Clearly, this latest act of Israels barbarity was a planned action and a deliberate show
of force. The Israeli government arrogantly claimed that the boats were embarking
on "an act of provocation" against the Israeli military, rather than providing aid, and
said it would not allow the flotilla to reach the Gaza Strip. Thus, the attack was
meant to send a strong signal that anyone who opposes Israel will be taken down.

A firestorm of condemnation and protest met Israels latest brutality. Massive rallies
took place in Turkey, where protesters attempted to storm the Israeli consulate in
Istanbul. The demonstrations in Turkey marked many firsts in history. The
Palestinian flag was seen being waved with Turkey's. The green flag of Hamas was
also shown, a signal of a widespread public embrace of all the Palestinian factions.
Hamas, which rejects Israels existence, won Palestinian parliamentary elections in
early 2006. Israel then began to reduce trade and relations with Gaza. Moreover, the
yellow flag of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement was also seen. It signals expression
of support for Palestine as the genuine opposition to Israels tyrants.
Demonstrations were also held in Cyprus, Iraq, Norway, Sweden, Paris, Rome,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Germany, Britain and in more than 20 cities
in Greece. In the U.S., emergency protests were held in spite of the Memorial Day

holiday. Even the people of Israel demonstrated in solidarity with the Palestinian
community.
On June 20, hundreds of peace activists prevented the unloading of an Israeli Zim
Lines ship at the Port of Oakland by forming a picket line at around 5:30 a.m.
at berths 57, 58 and 59 operated by SSA Terminals.
Kilusang Mayo Uno added its voice to the strong international call to punish Israel
over the vicious attack against Freedom Flotilla. Calling it a crime against humanity,
KMU said the inhumane attack deserves the broadest condemnation and protest
from all working people and peace-loving individuals worldwide.
KMU condemned the US imperialist government for its continuing support to the
racist Israeli regime. Israel is the strongest ally of the US in its bid to maintain
control in the Middle East. For the longest time, the United States military and
diplomatic support to Israel has intensified the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Beyond
issuing statements, Obama must make immediate efforts to cut off all its military
support to Israel. From 1946 to 2008, U.S. direct military aid to Israel was estimated
at US$114 billion. U.S. aid to Israel is the lifeblood of Israels illegal occupation and
aggression of Palestinian territories in West Bank and Gaza Strip, KMU said.
KMU also joined the international community in calling for an urgent and
comprehensive international investigation into the incident and for the lifting of the
blockade in Gaza to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the humanitarian crisis there.
It called on the outgoing Arroyo administration and the incoming president Benigno
Noynoy Aquino III to suspend the Philippines diplomatic relations with the Israeli
government. #

__________________________________________________________________
Thai Unrest and the Government Crackdown

Kilusang Mayo Uno strongly condemns the political repression and human rights
violations committed by the Abhisit Vejajiva regime in Thailand against the Red
Shirts protestors last May 20.
The repression unleashed is overkill: the Abhisit regime used trained snipers, tanks
and weapons of war against the protestors who were armed only with slingshots,
burning tires and Molotov cocktails. This is the most violent political confrontation
in recent Thai history, leaving 88 dead and hundreds injured in its wake.

Over and beyond the influence of businessman and former prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, which the Abhisit regime blames for the protests, it is the poverty and
powerlessness widespread among a vast and growing number of Thai people that is
the real cause of the recent protests as well as those that are still to come.
Despite their calls for Abhisits resignation and the holding of elections, the Red
Shirts were repeatedly offering negotiations to the regime, but the latter refused and
opted to unleash violence. The Abhisit regime, the military, and US imperialism a
long-time ally of the Thai ruling classes should be held responsible for this crime.
In struggling against the illegitimate regime of Arroyo, the Filipino workers and
people have also experienced an overkill of political repression and human rights
violations. In the process, we have seen how international solidarity helps stay the
hand of repression. We extend our solidarity to the Thai workers and people.
Lastly we call on the Thai workers and people to build a genuine progressive
movement in their country, one that is not beholden to the interests of ruling elites
nor of the middle classes, one that is conscious and persevering in waging the Thai
workers and peoples struggle for genuine independence, democracy and
development.

__________________________________________________________________
Sipho Jele:
Voice of Swaziland

Kilusang Mayo Uno expresses its deepest sympathy to the families and comrades of
Sipho Jele, a trade union activist and freedom fighter from Swaziland, who was
murdered and found dead inside his cell last May 3. Together with workers
organizations all over the world, KMU mourns the death of Sipho Jele and at the
same time honors his family for taking the courage to speak-up, and for believing
that truth can bring justice.
Sipho Jele, a 35-year old unionist in Swaziland, was arrested on May 1. Police said he
was arrested because he was wearing a T-shirt of a banned terrorist entity;
downplaying government crackdown on political activists.
The police tried to cover-up the brutal murder of Jele, saying he committed suicide
and showed pictures of him hanging from his jail cell. Later, they tried to bribe Jeles
family to remain quiet about the incident and bury him out of the public eye. The
family refused to do so and stood up bravely for Jele.

Around 200 people picketed the Swaziland Consulate in Braamfontein to condemn

the murder of Jele. Acting Consular Ernest Tsabedze received and signed the
memorandum handed by the protesters on behalf of the Swaziland government. The
Prime Minister (PM) Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini said the government will investigate
the death of Jele.
In a press statement, the Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned the repressive policies of
the Swaziland government. One of these policies is the Suppression of Terrorism
Act. Under the Act, police conducts surveillance on members of labor unions and
political groups. Workers strikes are dispersed. Persons opposed to the regime are
arrested, detained and tortured.
Filipinos have been experiencing dictatorship since the Marcos regime. KMU also
said that it does not surprise them that the outgoing fascist and US-backed Arroyo
regime worked with the Swazilands repressive government. Arroyo, during the visit
of Swazilands highest officials, signed an agreement between the Philippines and
Swaziland on economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation.
Imperialism, led by the US, propped up and maintained the dictatorship rule in
different countries. Together with local elites, it will not stop in bringing hunger,
exploitation, and violence.
KMU believes that united, the workers and the masses of different countries, have
the power to change things. With collective action and organized movement, they
will achieve victories against fascist rule. KMU expressed its commitment to support
Swaziland in its fight for genuine democracy and freedom.
Sipho Jele will be remembered as a hero. The freedom fighters of Swaziland and of
different countries will continue to honor him by continuing his legacy of fighting.
He fought with all his heart, and so he will remain in the hearts of the many nameless
suffering people of Swaziland.
Sign the petition condemning Jeles death at www.sigtur.com