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Dennis
Maga Speaking Tour...... May 2007
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Stop The Killings
in The Philippines
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The Press Editorial Cartoon, 29
May 2007
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/293795a21498.html
STOP
THE KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES
DENNIS MAGA
unionist & human rights activist
THURSDAY MAY 24TH, 7.30 P.M.
TRADE UNION CENTRE, 1st Floor, 199 Armagh Street
FIRST HAND REPORT ON THE RESISTANCE TO STATE
REPRESSION
Dennis Maga, a trade union community leader in the
Philippines and spokesperson for the free Ka Bel movement
will be in New Zealand from May 20th to June 2nd to speak
on the dire situation in his country and on how New
Zealand can help. This tour has been sponsored by
community organisations and unions.
His national speaking tour is planned to coincide with
the NZ visit of Philippine President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, between May 27th-30th, for an
interfaith dialogue in Waitangi, hosted by Helen Clark.
Since Arroyo came to power six years ago, nearly 850
people have died in extrajudicial killings and many have
been detained – including left-wing politicians,
rights activists, unionists, journalists and religious
leaders.
Renowned human rights expert and New York University
Professor, Philip Alston, has said that “virtual
impunity” prevails in the country with regard to the
extrajudicial killings which are “convincingly
attributed” to the military.
Mr Alston, appointed by the United Nations as Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, said in his report to the UN on March 27th
and 28th: “the military and many key officials have
buried their collective heads in the sand and announced
that business will continue as usual”.
Among those detained is Crispin “Ka Bel”
Beltran. The ailing 74-year-old congressman was arrested
in February 2006 on charges that date back to the era of
Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the early 1980s and
were quashed in 1988. Since then, further trumped up
charges of sedition have been laid. Beltran has now been
held under hospital detention for sixteen months. Despite
the fact that the Government has now lifted its objection
to him being granted bail, he remains in custody. Ka Bel
is a well known figure to New Zealanders, having visited
this country on a national speaking tour in 1999, in his
capacity as the long serving leader of the KMU (Kilusang
Mayo Uno/ May First Movement) trade union confederation.
Dennis Maga is Secretary General of ANGLO-KMU (General
Workers Federation within the KMU). He is also
spokesperson for the Free Ka Bel Movement and ran Ka
Bel’s Congressional re-election campaign for the
political party Anakpawis (the Government strategy in
imprisoning Ka Bel was to cripple the chances of he, and
his party, of getting back into Congress in the May
midterm elections).
The Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM) is an alliance of
workers, church people, professionals, parliamentarians,
artists, students, and supporters of Rep. Beltran calling
for his immediate release. The Convenor is the former
Vice President of the Philippines , Teofisto Guingona.
Sponsored in Christchurch by the Philippines
Solidarity Network of Aotearoa and ARENA
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