KAO WAO NEWS No 52
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in
**********************************************
READERS' FRONT
SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR’S REPORT FAILS
MON PRISONERS
DENIED ACCESS
DISPLACED FLOCK TO THE BORDER
JUNTA LIES ON EDUCATION
U.N. ENVOY SEEKS TO VISIT
DEMOCRACY LEADER
REPLY TO CONTAGIOUS DISEASE OF
ROAD MAP
NEOLIBERALISM VS. BUDDHISM
DEPORTED MONKS SHOCK MON IN EXILE
SOROS FUNDS PLAN
TO BLOCK BUSH
********************************************
READERS' FRONT
Dear Readers,
We invite
comments and suggestions on improvements to Kao-Wao
newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kao-Wao News
will continue to grow to serve better the needs of those seeking social justice
in
Regards,
Editor
kaowao@hotmail.com
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0
***********************************************************************
SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR’S REPORT FAILS
(Kao Wao:
Mon communities
are disappointed with the United Nation’s Report on human rights by the Special
Rapporteur of Myanmar.
The interim
report prepared by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur of the Commission
on Human Rights in Myanmar, which was released in the
United Nations General Assembly in August 2003, said human rights violations
decreased in
The Mon community
in Monland and exiles responded with little
satisfaction following the report of Mr. Pinheiro.
The Chairman of
USA based Monland Restoration Council Pon Nya Mon said, “human rights
abuses caused by fighting between the SPDC and the NMSP may have decreased
since there are not fighting.
However, HR abuses caused by non-fighting such as land confiscation,
forced labor for road and military camps, tax extortion, the closing down of
Mon national schools have increased substantially since the cease-fire. The most serious violation is organized land
confiscation by the BA in several areas. Since 1995 about 10,000 acres of
land have been confiscated in Mon state. This is tremendous loss in which
people are unable to feed themselves, thus they face starvation.
Overall, I think human rights abuses are increasing after the cease-fire”.
The interim
report, transmitted to the members of the General Assembly on
The UN report
stated that the Special Rapporteur followed a two-pronged approach in his
investigations by (a) conducting independent interviews of refugees in
“We haven’t heard
of his interview conducted here, but Ms. Guest from the Amnesty International
came here for such (human rights) interviews in the previous year”, said Nai Lahoin, the migrant community
leader of Maharchai fishing community.
The General
Secretary of Mon Unity League Nai Sunthorn
also said after the cease-fire agreement, human rights violations related to
armed fighting has decreased in some areas, but other forms of violations such
as forced labor, torture, rape, robbery and land confiscation committed by the
State authorities have doubled.
The MUL,
comprised of 14 member organizations, was formed as a forum for the Mon people
after the NMSP reached a cease-fire deal with the junta. The umbrella organization sent a petition
letter of “Land Confiscation by Myanmar Government” on
On
****************************************************************
MON PRISONERS
DENIED ACCESS
(Kao Wao:
The Burmese Army rejected a request from the cease-fire group to
visit its members who were arrested for a state assassination plot.
According to the New Mon State Party (NMSP) office at the
Thai-Burma border, senior military intelligence officer of Office of Strategic
Studies (OSS) Colonel San Pwint told the NMSP leader Nai Aung Min that visitors are not yet allowed to meet the
Mon detainees.
The
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) arrested 12 suspects including two
NMSP members Nai Yekkha and
Nai Chem Gakow and Mon National Democratic Front leader Nai Min Kyi on
The NMSP denied the charges and insists that it is committed to
solving the country’s problem through a political dialogue rather than violent
attacks.
In
the late August, the Mon leaders led by President Nai
Htin and Vice-President General Htow
Mon traveled to
The
NMSP liaison office said the meeting was a normal process and resulted in more
business opportunities despite the case of Mon detainees and other political
agendas.
In
July, the NMSP issued a joint-statement, along with six other ceasefire groups,
expressing grief for those who lost their lives in the May 30 attacks against
the democratic leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters in upper
**************************************************
DISPLACED FLOCK TO THE BORDER
(Based
on IMNA report,
Internally
displaced persons recently fled human rights violation in southern
According to the Halockhanee refugee
committee, over 50 Mon families have fled to the border to escape systematic
persecution by the Burmese Army from conflict areas during the raining season.
A relief worker from the Mon camp says that new arrivals mostly
come from southern Ye and some from
Some families leave the refugee camp to seek employment in
The Mon resettlement area is located on the Thai-Burma border
inside
The
BA and Mon offensive continue to wreak havoc on communities in Ye and Yebyu townships. According to sources, the civilians in Yebyu and
Estimates vary, but there are one million to 600,000 internally
displaced people in
******************************************************
JUNTA LIES ON EDUCATION
(Reported by Gong
Ong:
Even though the
ceremony for Literacy Day was held in the capital, the junta pays not a single
Kyat for public education for
At the Diamond
Jubilee Hall on
In the
celebration at the capital city on September 8, General Khin Nyunt who holds
one of many positions including as Chairman of Myanmar Education Committee
said, “the Union of Myanmar is making efforts to uplift education for its
citizens systematically through an education plan in which literacy and
continuing education programmes have been included as a crucial sector. Decisions were made to draw up plans by
respective nations for basic literacy and better life programmes. Keeping all school-age children in schools,
completing primary school education, attending schools regularly, preventing
drop-outs as well as providing basic education to those above the school-going
age, and going on with providing life skills education and creating continuous
learning opportunities have been accomplished.”
In front of the
ruling State Peace and Development Council’s Ministers, ambassadors, representative
of UN Agencies and education workers, the Prime Minister announced that in the
2003-2004 academic year, the enrolment rate in the 144 project townships is
98.93 percent and that throughout the country is 95.05 percent.
Playing the same
old tune, he confirmed that
However, on the
other side of the fence, higher tuition fees are introduced in
In
In the rural
areas, Mon children are learning their literature in self-supported
schools surrounded by broken down bamboo walls on the International Literacy
Day. These children in southern
Unfortunately,
these Mon national schools are regarded as illegal institutions, and are closed
often following threats from the Burmese authorities. The current State Peace and Development
Council has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but the regime
blatantly violates these rights and denies Mon ethnic children their own
culture and the enjoyment of practicing their own native language.
In July,
Before the
cease-fire agreement with the regime in 1995, many Mon teachers were arrested
and accused by the junta as being rebel supporters even though these teachers
have not been involved in the armed movement, but instead are committed in
supporting their national education established by the Mon National Education
Committee of the New Mon State Party.
While being
marginalized and discriminated against by the
At present, the
MNEC administer 912 teachers for 37,135 students under the Mon National Schools
system. The NMSP and the grassroots population fund these national schools
since it has been founded but later on some aid was given by international aid
agencies via NHEC (National Health and Education Committee).
The NHEC, a
health and education committee formed by Burmese umbrella opposition groups to
help refugees and internally displaced persons along the borders, provides
educational assistances for a total of 140,000 students, 5,000 teachers and
facilitating over 1,500 schools all over Burma in the strong hold areas. The NHEC education projects had been launched in
Mon, Karen, Karenni, Shan, Lahu, Wa, Palaung, Pa-O, Kachin, Chin, Arakan and Naga areas.
With its own High
Schools, Secondary Schools and Elementary Schools in the stronghold areas, the
These number of
Mon education workers do not account for volunteer teachers (Buddhist monks,
university students, and community workers) for summer Mon literacy class in
Mon state and other Mon community in Rangoon, Pegu, Tenasserim Divisions and
Karen State. Even though the accurate
number of students is difficult to verify due to government restrictions, it is
estimated that about 50,000
Despite not
supporting educational programme in the ethnic areas, the junta closely
monitors these activities and controls as much as they can. Like other dictators on this planet, the
Burmese ruling authorities see these classes as a base for anti government
activities and Mon teachers are accused as rebel supporters and intimidated,
sometimes being harassed, arrested, tortured and imprisoned indefinitely.
In May 2003,
Major Aye Thein of the Burmese Army, Infantry Battalion No 31 ordered the
closure of Mon summer literacy classes at
The overall
situation in
Despite the fact
that only 0.5% of GNP is spent on education in
While Gen. Khin
Nyunt declared that
*********************************************************
U.N ENVOY SEEKS TO VISIT DEMOCRACY
LEADER
(Cited
from Reuters:
UNITED
NATIONS - A U.N. special envoy is trying to set up a visit to
No date for the visit has yet been set as the junta has not yet agreed to let
envoy Razali Ismail see Suu Kyi, who was locked up along with scores of
supporters following a bloody clash between her convoy and junta supporters during
a tour outside the capital of Rangoon.
Razali, a veteran Malaysian diplomat, last saw the 57-year-old Nobel Peace
Prize laureate in early June.
''He won't go unless he gets the green light to see Suu Kyi,'' said one
official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The
military junta in
Both sides blame the other for the May 30 violence, which has drawn
international condemnation of
from the country's Southeast Asian neighbors.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won elections in 1990 but has
never been allowed to take power.
Razali has repeatedly visited
But its military rulers have accused international governments of meddling in
its internal affairs and have warned of instability if Western-style democracy
was imposed.
**************************************************
Debate on
REPLY TO KANBAWZA WIN’S
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE OF ROAD MAP
Ever
since the ENSCC Road Map for democratic transition in
We
all love our country and our people, and we believe that
We
want to see all of our beloved friends who are held unjustly in prisons become
free, we want to see all refugees return home safely, we want to see all who
are in exile reunite with their loved ones and we want to see our country
becomes free.
We
want to see our country no longer as a big prison but as a free and open
society where various ethnic nationalities can live peacefully together.
We
want to solve our country’s problem but we don’t believe in violent means.
Violence only begets violence, and there is no solution after fifty years of
violent conflicts in
In
a nutshell, we want to solve our crisis through a peaceful means where the
biggest winner will be the people, the ordinary folks. We believe that we
follow Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s method of non-violent strategy, for she herself
is opting to solve our country’s problem through dialogue. And we obey the
United Nations General Assembly’s resolution, which calls for a “tripartite
dialogue.”
Critics
like Kanbawza Win who claims that the ENSCC Road Map
“does not call for immediate release of all political prisoners, gloss over the
crimes against humanity such as the 1988 massacre and the latest butchering at Depayin.” He made his point quite clearly but he failed to
see the very nature of ENSCC Road Map. Theories say that there are at least three
different kinds of political transition road map; 1) Demanding Road Map, 2)
Process Inviting Road Map, and 3) A Comprehensive Transition Plan. Ours is not
a “demanding road map” nor a “comprehensive transition plan” but “process
inviting road map” through which we invite our conflict partners (whom we want
to turn into our peace partners) to join hands. We are not going to shy away
from the method that we have chosen, because we dare to make peace with our
enemy. After all, peace is made with enemy not with friend.
Secondly,
Kanbawza Win failed to differentiate “road map” from
“blue print”. Any kind of political transition “road map”, even “a
comprehensive transition plan”, is not a “blue print”. “Blue print” is not
easily changeable but “road map” is. In normal situation, “road map” should be
produced after discussion with opposite party or parties. That’s why
pre-negotiation talks are needed in transition to democracy, as we have seen in
However,
we should carefully avoid playing the games our enemy wants us to play, that
is---any kind of violent confrontations. They know that they are going to win
if we engage in the games they set, because they are masters in dealing with
violence. Violent confrontation is the name of their game, which we should
avoid. On the other end, they refuse to engage dialogue because they know and
think that they are going to lose if they enter into a dialogue table. So, we
should know what are our strong points and our weak points, and turn our weak
points into strong points. This simple method will be helpful, if we apply
properly. We believe in “tripartite
dialogue”; not only because it is called for by the UN, but it also reflects
the very nature of political situation in
This
is unfortunate that although the UN and international community recognize
ethnic nationalities---through UNGA resolution---as major political actors in
Let
me be very frank: without ethnic nationalities participation in this transition
process, you might be able to change the government in
Finally,
I would like to clarify that in any political road map or transition plan,
there are always two components: the “process” and the “substance”. The
“substance” is a matter of what we want to achieve. What kind of outcome we
want to see through this road map? What sort of political structure will be the
component of the solution over which we are going to negotiate during the
“process”? In short, this is the substance of the solution itself, and the goal
of our struggle. “Process”, on the other hand, is a business of negotiation and
dialogue, which focus on the elements of the solution but not the solution itself, that is, how to get to a solution? As such, one can
clearly see that the ENSCC Road Map is for “process initiative” not a
comprehensive transition plan with detail of account of the “substance”. We
only produce a road map for “process initiative”, or “process inviting”;
because we think that it is unwise to put everything on the table at once.
Sincerely,
Lian H. Sakhong
2003-09-09
Dear
all,
I’m
glad that Dr. Lian H. Sakhong
responded to Kanbawza Win’s critique and clarified
the concept of ENSCC’s Road Map. I have heard so many
suspicious or doubtful comments in regard to the ENSCC’s
Road Map since it was released. I guess these suspicious comments about the ENSCC’s Road Map also reflect the attitude and lack of
understanding or unwilling to accept the role of ethnic nationalities as a key
political force. There is a political doctrine, which is deeply entrenched
among Burmese democratic forces, that changes would or could come only if we
all follow the great leader, and consequently this causes the Burmese
democratic forces to be too slow in their ability to change their tactics in
struggling for peaceful change in
Political
immaturity among Burmese democratic forces often becomes noticeable whenever
ethnic nationalities make a significant move that highlights and acknowledges
ethnic nationalities’ role as an equal partner in
As
a democracy activist and ethnic person I am disappointed to read Kanbawza Win's lion and hyenas, example. He seems to forget
that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi always says: I or the NLD alone cannot bring change,
we cannot wait for change to happen and, as a citizen we all have a
responsibility and duty to help bring about change. Now DASSK is in confinement
and political parties in the country are unable to function freely. ENSCC which
correctly play its role by putting forward a political Road Map for peaceful solution
is accused of causing disunity instead of acknowledging it as the viewpoints
and concerns of ethnic nationalities to achieve a peaceful solution. Kanbawza Win's critique offers no solution or alternative
ideas but negative views and misunderstands the political role of ethnic
nationalities.
Let
me take this opportunity to ask you something about the fact of ENSCC's Road Map and the regime's National Convention. Does
ENSCC's Road Map suggest that the regime’s halfway
National Convention is still playing a role in the Congress for the National
Unity?
Best
regards
Sai Laoleang
***********************************************
ROAD MAP TO DELUSION OR EQUALITY
(By
Banya Hongsar)
There
have been a large number of arguments put out by the media but little coverage
is given to the equality of all nationalities in
In
response to reconvening the old "National Convention" and a call to a
new "Election" proposed by the PM, Harn
Yawnghwe, Director of the Euro-Burma Office Advisor to the ENSCC immediately
released an addition to the PM’s "Road Map" for further
consideration. The non-Burman opposition organizations in the country initiated
by ENSCC (Ethnic Nationalities Solidarity and Cooperation Committee) promptly
responded to the seven point plan further adding six basic principles: Peaceful
resolution; political dialogue; respect to the will of the people; and
protection of the rights of citizens and all nationalities within a federal
arrangement.
Equality
for the ethnic nationalities under the law is the cornerstone to democracy in
The
generals have blundered modern development and suppressed the ethnic
nationalities who challenge their rule and who are viewed as enemies of the
state. While the PM extols his government’s efforts with the support of Union
Solidarity and Development Union, the SPDC is targeting NLD members by
arresting and harassing supporters in Magwe and Tenasserim Divisions.
It
is disappointing that
Successive
The
newly appointed PM in his policy address declared, “We cannot directly copy or import
a democratic system that is being practiced abroad". Recently, at a hti (golden umbrella) ceremony, Khin Nyunt was seen
reverently circling a pagoda, Kate Wheeler a writer for the New York Times who
had witnessed the event wished that he'd go to the Pagan Museum to read a 1084
stone inscription: ''After me, whether my son or grandson, or any relation or
any other person, if he oppresses the slaves I have offered to this shrine, may
he not behold the Buddha Arimittiya.''
The
current human rights situation reports government soldiers raping local
non-Burman girls, occupying local ethnic land and properties, torturing
anti-government activists and abusing the cultures of non-Burman people in the
rural areas. The
His
constitution will not serve the entire people of the country if representatives
of all minority nationalities are denied to participate in the constitutional
debate. Moreover, with 500,000 troops in the country to feed it is quite clear
that the new election is designed to buy time for the troops and their family’s
business interests to secure capital control in the country. Thousands of SPDC
members and families have maintained a good standard of living for themselves
living off the back of the people, while the Rangoon Generals are protesting
for the welfare of its members.
Surely
5 decades of civil war and destitution must be turned into something positive
and be used to pave the way to a Road Map based on peace, unity and a
democratic nation. The SPDC must be totally committed to abolishing the policy
of "Burmanization" and work with the ethnic
nationalities to introduce equality and build a democratic institution. A
nation without sense of humanity and fairness among its native people will not
achieve a political victory.
***********************************************************
Perspective:
NEOLIBERALISM
VS. BUDDHISM IN
(Bop
Htaw:
The
The
monks are accused of “illegal entry” to the kingdom because they do not hold
valid documents or visa stamps. After being thrown back across the border they
make their way on foot though dense jungle to their native birthplace in
Mon
Buddhist monks laid the foundation of Buddhist society in
Firstly,
the Royal Thai Government assumes that Buddhist monks holding monk ID cards
issued by local senior Abbott are illegal migrants. Furthermore, the government fears that they
could start trouble and would pose a threat to the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation gathering in October.
However, local Buddhist monks have no interests in the business dealings
of the capitalist leaders and their partnerships.
“We
are not interested in their work, it has nothing to do with us,” remarked a
deported young monk.
A
well-known Thai senior Buddhist monk, Rev Phuthta Essara, strongly objects to the move by the Thai government
saying, “For several centuries no monk has ever had to obtain visa stamps to
teach and learn Buddhism in the Kingdom.” “Monks practice selflessness and
devote their energy to serve the community for harmony and peace of mind”,
explained the Abbot.
Following
the message by Rev Phuthta Essara
with respect to the remaining Mon monks in Pathumthani,
it appears the crack down may have slowed a bit, but some anticipate it will
resume. Sources say, “There are over one
hundred temples to be searched by the Task Force for further operations and the
commandos are geared up to dispel the myth that Thailand is a soft target for
terrorists.” Western analysts report that
Illegal
migrants are neither troublemakers nor stakeholders of APEC; rather they are
victims of the capitalist led regional governments. The official banner of the Thai Government
states: Welcome APEC delegates (
Burmese
monks are in Thailand because they are silenced from participating in anything
that resembles ‘politics’ in Burma by the Rangoon regime, banned from
publishing books for studies in their own language, for example in Mon, while
the regime opening supports those who hold higher positions, ones who accept
bribes, and ones who are pro-regime.
Thousands of non-Burman monks fled to the Kingdom after the 1988
nation-wide uprising for further studies in Buddhism, while many completed post
secondary studies at various universities in the Kingdom.
They
break no common laws and are excluded from participating in rebuilding their
country by the Royal Thai government.
Buddhist monks have great abilities and skill in influencing moral
responsibility and should be allowed to partake at some level in the “National
Reconciliation” process. Leaving it to those politicians who have had such a
negative and immoral impact on our society is a serious breach of tradition for
the Buddhist community.
But
in
In
1985, when the
When
Gen Ne Win seized power from the civilian government, a few anti-Ne Win monks
joined hands with ethnic leaders and fled to the rural area. Some felt they had to join the Mon armed
forces to protect their culture and a few fled to
“If
they deport and arrest my fellow monks, I invite them to come and arrest me
first,” he declared to an immigration officer on the phone. As a well-respected
Mon monk by the Royal Thai family, Rev Uttama has
given back to the Thai community, well into his 90s,
he still instructs and guides Buddhist meditation chants to many visitors,
especially Thai citizens who visit him regularly for good health and fortune.
Many of his fellow monks have established new temples in rural areas and the
border areas in Kanchanaburi to further serve the
Thai community.
There
is a solution to the problem: The Royal Thai government could issue monks ID
cards for studies in
Illegal
entry is an ongoing issue in
*************************************************
DEPORTED MONKS SHOCK MON IN EXILE
(Kao Wao:
The
Meanwhile, Monland Restoration Council in
In the statement,
the MNC perceives that all monks have a right to be offered refuge because they
are seeking a peaceful place to practice Buddhism and should be freed from
persecutions and oppressions in their homeland – like the Dalai Lama being
offered refuge in
“The Thai
government surely is not thinking properly, having authorities disrobe Buddhist
monks is in itself a serious act against not only the Mons but jeopardizes the
Buddhist relationships between the Mon and the Thai, such impractical action
taken by the Thai government may affect future relationships between the Mon
and Thai and we will request that the Thai government review their actions
immediately”, adding that, “the Thai government must protect Mon monks until
such time they able to return to their homeland”, says Nai
Ong, a Mon exile who has visited the community over
the past decade.
The Thai police arrested Buddhist monks at Bangkadee, a well-known Thai-Mon community, on August 26
and over thirty Mon monks including two political refugees were disrobed and
deported to the Thai-Burma border. The Thai
authorities announced that 189 monasteries in 9 districts are to be searched for illegal entry to the Kingdom.
*********************************************************
All about “regime
change”
SOROS FUNDS PLAN TO BLOCK BUSH
(Inter
Press Service:
UNITED
NATIONS – Mr. George Soros, most often described as a
billionaire philanthropist, once shared some of the same political values with
U.S. President George W. Bush, such as both wanting a ''regime change'' in
But
Soros went further: he has also been gunning for
And
now Soros has made a full political circle: he wants
to see a ''regime change'' in the
A
long-time pro-democracy advocate and a sometimes currency speculator, Soros is openly backing a non-governmental initiative
called 'Americans Coming Together' (ACT) aimed at stopping Bush in his bid for
a second term as president of the United States.
ACT
is planning to spend about 75 million dollars to mobilize
Described
as a counter-cultural investor whose net worth is more than five billion
dollars, Soros has already contributed about 10
million dollars to the anti-Bush campaign.
Six
other philanthropists have chipped in a total of about 12 million dollars,
while eight million dollars have been contributed by trade unions.
Soros, who is chairman of the
Open Society Institute (OSI) which promotes multi-party democracy worldwide,
thinks that Bush and his aggressive unilateral foreign policy is doing more
harm than good to the
He
also believes the president has neither the intellectual capacity nor the
political prowess to guide the
Bush's
policies are bound to be wrong ''because they are based on a false ideology'',
he told students last month in a commencement address at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in
He
sees striking similarities between the
The
idea that might is right, advocated by both leaders, cannot be reconciled with
the idea of an open society, Soros told the students.
A
strong advocate of the concept of an ''open society'', he argues that
neo-conservatives in the Bush administration have made a mockery of the values
of freedom and democracy -- all in the name of fighting terrorism.
The
battle against terrorism, he says, cannot be accepted as the guiding principle
of
''What
will happen to the world if the most powerful country on earth -- the one that
sets the agenda -- is solely preoccupied with self-preservation?'' he asked.
''Acting
as the leader of a global open society will not protect the
While
he favoured the removal of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Soros
thinks that one of Bush's biggest foreign policy debacles is the war on
He
has pooh-poohed the idea that the Bush administration is fostering democracy by
invading and occupying the
''Democracy
cannot be imposed from the outside,'' he argued. ''I have been actively
involved in building open societies in a number of countries through my network
of foundations. Speaking from experience, I would never choose
Soros says his primary aim in getting involved with ACT is to
mobilize civil society and convince people to go to the polls next year, ''and
vote for candidates who will reassert the values of the greatest open society
in the world''.
The
anti-Bush campaign is gathering support from anti-war groups, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and academics.
''The
Soros initiative should gain support as the situation
in Iraq worsens, and as the public becomes more aware that President Bush took
us to war based on false information about Iraq's weaponry and about its
connection to terrorist groups,'' John Quigley, professor of law at Ohio State
University, told IPS.
''A
president who initiates war on such (false) premises should not be
re-elected,'' said Quigley.
''There
is no question that if you really look at the deeper situation (about the Bush
administration), George Soros is right,'' says Rob
Wheeler, organiser of the Uniting for Peace Coalition
and U.N. Representative of the Association of World Citizens.
''The
president and his administration is surely leading the
country in a 'false and dangerous situation' and they must be stopped,'' he
told IPS.
''The
question is, really, what issues ACT will focus on and how tough they will be
on the president,'' he added.
The
Hungarian-born Soros says he is not backing any
candidate for the
Besides
Bush, Soros also targets U.S. Attorney General John
Ashcroft, author of the Patriot Act, a highly controversial law that has
restricted civil liberties in the guise of fighting terrorism.
Anyone
who opposes the Patriot Act, says Ashcroft, is giving aid and comfort to the
enemy. Ashcroft's remarks have prompted a rejoinder from Soros:
‘‘these are views of extremists, not adherents to an open society.''
A
graduate of the London School of Economics, Soros
says one of his political pursuits was to defeat communism and transform former
closed societies in the
Last
week, he closed down his operations in
Still,
the OSI is known to spend over 450 million dollars annually to create open
societies in several developing nations and Eastern European countries.
Ironically,
although his anti-Bush campaign has strong supporters in the current
As
a currency trader, he is accused of making his fortune by manipulating markets,
mostly in developing countries. He is known to have made a billion dollars on a
single day by speculating on the British pound.
In
an article in 'Covert Action Quarterly' last year, Heather Cotton said that Soros' foundations and financial machinations are partly
responsible for the destruction of socialism in
''He
has set his sights on
Soros' role, she said, is to tighten the stranglehold of globalisation and the ''New World Order'' while promoting
his own financial gain.
Cotton
writes that while anti-globalisation forces were
freezing in the streets outside
''As
the police forced protesters into metal cages on
As
chairman of Soros Fund Management, Soros built a huge fortune doubling as a speculator in
international currency and financial markets.
He
has been accused of profiting unfairly in foreign markets, including developing
country markets such as
At
a meeting at the
Pleading
innocence, he said the cash crises he has been blamed for were really caused by
government policies, not his speculative actions. ''I was used as a scapegoat
for government actions,'' he added, pointing out that he is known in
***********************************************************
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