Asia

"The bombing of Afghanistan has now begun. The most powerful and richest country in the world, the USA, is bombing one of the poorest countries on this planet. And Britain, as usual, is behaving as an obedient lapdog to US imperialism. However they may try to disguise it, this war is not about “justice” or “fighting terrorism”. The aim is to terrorise the peoples of the former colonial countries, to bully them into submitting to the will of the rich and powerful. It is a warning: 'either you do as we say, or you get bombed!'". A first emergency analysis by Fred Weston.

Everything on a world scale is now subordinated to the perspective of war. The fact that the attack on Afghanistan (and other countries) has been delayed does not mean at all that the risk of hostilities has diminished. Alan Woods looks at the world situation as the build up towards war unfolds.

Three public meetings were recently organised by the PTUDC in Pakistan to protest the impending Imperialist attack on Pakistan and the terrorism perpetrated by the Islamic fundamentalist organisations. They were held in in Hyderabad, Thatta and at the Pakistan Steel Mills near Karachi. The meetings were attended by hundreds of workers who resolved to launch an anti-war campaign throughout the country and also made an appeal to workers in Europe for support.

 Three public meetings were recently organised by the PTUDC to protest the impending Imperialist attack on Pakistan and the terrorism perpetrated by the Islamic fundamentalist organisations. The first Meeting was held in the main city hall in Hyderabad, the main city of Sindh. More than three hundred people attended the meeting. They were mainly students from the three main universities of Sindh. The meeting was presided by the veteran left intellectual from Sindh, Comrade Ibrahim Joyo. The main speakers were Mohammad Khan Ahmadani, Chairman of the PTUDC, Sindh, and the editor of the Sindhi Marxist Paper ‘Class Struggle’ and Lal Khan the editor of the Asian Marxist Review. The

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"Many people have been shocked at the media pictures of the unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan. The Taliban regime has carried out a reign of terror, with ethnic cleansing... severe repression against oppressed nationalities and members of other religions, the smashing of statues of Buddha, the public execution of women in Kandhar the whipping... The howling of the oppressed women of Afghanistan reverberates throughout Asia. The question is: who is responsible for this bloody civil war, all these deaths, the hunger, ethnic cleansing and sheer barbarism? The answer is very simple. It was American imperialism which reduced Afghanistan to the level of the Dark Ages and completely destroyed

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The first reports have started to arrive about the actions taken all over the world during the Free Satish Kumar International Day of Action. The campaign for the release of Satish Kumar, however must be stepped up. Check out the details of what you can do to help.

"The dark clouds of war and destruction loom large over Afghanistan and Pakistan. As time clicks away the atmosphere of speculation, uncertainty, confusion and deep fear grips these impoverished societies. The threat of Imperialist aggression in the aftermath of the attacks in New York and Washington is dangling like a sword over the heads of the people." Lal Khan, editor of the Marxist paper Jeddo Judh (Class Struggle) in Pakistan, explains the background to the coming to power of the Taliban, their relationship with the Western oil companies, who is Osama Bin laden and finally reports on the mood in Pakistan...

"Pluto Press have recently published a new book, Reaping the Whirlwind, The Taliban Movement in Afghanistan, by Michael Griffin. He has done a service in providing some quite detailed information about the origins of the Taliban and the background that led to their emerging as a force capable of taking control of most of modern-day Afghanistan."

We publish here the first edition of a new Marxist paper in Indonesia. Cahaya, means "shining light" or "bright light" and has been produced by a group of young Marxists active in the Indonesian workers and student movement. It has the ambition to become the socialist voice of workers, poor peasants and young people. We hope that the policies explained in its pages will become the dominant ideas of the Indonesian left.A short presentation in English is also available.

In the middle of August the well-know Indian journalist and publisher Satish Kumar was framed and arrested in Faridabad, just outside Delhi. For more than 20 years he has published a paper called 'Mazdoor Morcha', which is renowned for exposing corruption and cases of abuse of power by the state authorities. Now he has been arrested and the authorities have set the date for his bail hearing in December!

We have received two reports on further anti-Trade Union repression in Pakistan. The regime is adamant on removing militant trade union leaders who are daring to challenge their plans to carry out privatisations and mass sackings. These comrades need your help. Please take up this issue urgently inside your trade union branch. Get messages of protest sent. And raise the funds needed to keep this campaign going! In these reports you will find an update on the situation in the Pakistan Postal Sector and a short report on more anti-trade union measures being taken by the regime against the Karachi steel workers. These reports were sent to us from the Pakistan Trade Union Defence...

We have received two reports on further anti-Trade Union repression in Pakistan. The regime is adamant on removing militant trade union leaders who are daring to challenge their plans to carry out privatisations and mass sackings. These comrades need your help. Please take up this issue urgently inside your trade union branch. Get messages of protest sent. And raise the funds needed to keep this campaign going! In these reports you will find an update on the situation in the Pakistan Postal Sector and a short report on more anti-trade union measures being taken by the regime against the Karachi steel workers. These reports were sent to us from the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign

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The Military regime in Pakistan has completely banned trade union activities in the Postal Sector. All union offices have been closed down. The collection of union funds has been declared illegal. No union can organise any meeting. If any worker dares to participate in any union activity, he can be sacked without any notice or explanation. The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign is organising a fightback. They need your support. For details of what you can do to help read this article now!