THE Bork nomination: what stand for workers •• 2. The story of Hector Marroquin . • . .. 8 Interview with Nicaraguan unionist . 11 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLiSHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 51/NO. 27 ·JULY 17, 1987 75 CENTS Behind Congress moves to gag antigov't protests southern Mrican groups BY ERNEST HARSCH in Panama Without any public fanfare or mention in the major news media, the House of Repre­ BY ERNEST HARSCH sentatives has adopted several measures "We reject the United States campaign that directly attack the right of southern Af­ against Panama!" "No to interventionism!" rican freedom organizations to address the "Panama yes, intervention no!" U.S. people. Those are among the slogans that have During a one~week period in mid-June, featured at many of the marches and dem­ the House passed these measures in the onstrations held in that country in recent form of amendments to the State Depart­ weeks to counter a right-wing mobilization ment Authorization Bill. They seek to cur­ aimed at toppling the Panamanian govern­ tail the movement and activities within the ment. United States of the African National Con­ The major U.S. news media has largely gress (ANC) of South Africa and the South ignored these actions. Instead it has fo~ West Africa People's Organisation cused on the antigovernment protests or­ (SWAPO) of Namibia. The amendments . ganized by business and professional also viole.nce-bait those two groups, which groups .. These have been portrayed as a are fighting to rid South Africa of the hated popular movement for democracy, against apartheid system and free Namibia from a repressive military regime. South African rule. That image is false. It seeks toobscure One amendment, proposed by Rep. Pat­ the bUe aims of the opposition forces in Panama - well as the direct support rick Swindall (R.- Ga.), would specifically as restrict the movement of representatives of they are receiving from Washington. the ANC and SWAPO (as well as of the To working people and other supporters Palestine Liberation Organization) to the of Panamanian sovereignty, the questions confines of those cities where the organiza­ at stake are clear: tions have their missions. The amend­ Will Washington once again be able to ment's wording is vague enough that this impose a government of its choice, as it has so many times before? Will Panama regain restriction could be applied against any public spokesperson of the two groups, not sovereignty over the Panama Canal Zone in just those officially attached to the ANC 1999, as stipulated by existing treaties, or and SW APO missions. will the zone remain under· U.S. military In response to growing support in United States for southern African freedom fight­ No. such travel restrictions would apply occupation? ers of African National CongreSs and South West Africa People's Organisation, to representatives of the apartheid regime. In a country that has so long suffered House of Representatives adopted measures to restrict their ability to reach U.S. au­ As a justification for this measure, the Continued on Page 10 ·diences. Swindall amendment red-baitS the ANC and· SWAPO by claiming that· the restric­ tions are intended to "keep Soviet and Soviet-bloc intelligence operatives out of Why 18 workers perished in boxcar the United States." Rep. Dan Burton (R.-Ind.) putforward BY JIM WATSON to die. The problem of insufficient oxygen said a demonstration protesting the deaths two other amendments, both of which were EL PASO, Texas- The story is a grim was compounded by the fact that the train will be held July 17. passed. One would reduce U.S. funding by one. Nineteen undocumented workers hop­ was held up for two hours in EI Paso while The shock of these deaths runs deep in 25 percent for any United Nations project if, in the judgement of the White House, its ~d an eastbound Missouri Pacific freight Ia migra supposedly inspected it. EI Paso, which is more than 70 percent "primary purpose is to benefit the ANC." train here on the evening of July 1. Within The people in the car had to remain per­ Hispanic. Nearby in the small community Burton's second amendment calls for a 12 hours, 18 of them died from dehydra­ fectly quiet so as not to be discovered. By of Sierra Blanca, where the boxcar was dis­ study of alleged "ANC forced detention tion and suffocation after being locked in the time the work began on the escape covered, residents were visibly shaken. camps." After some discussion, the Demo­ an air-tight boxcar. hole, it was too late. Billy Addington, a Sierra Blanca grocer, cratic-dominated House decided to modify The deteriorating Mexican economy is said immigrants had been passing through "There was blood all over the boxcar, the town for years trying to evade Ia migra. this latter amendment by calling for a simi­ forcing a growing number of Mexicans to apparently from where they were vomit­ The boxcar deaths reminded him of movies lar study of South African government de- ing, and· clothes were scattered all over about Nazi concentration camps. Continued on Page 2 from where they were trying to keep cool See editorial on page 14. by peeling their clothes off," said border patrol cop Mike Williams. Haitian strikes demand ouster try to get across the border to find work. The lone survivor got through by breath­ But it is becoming increasingly dangerous. ing through a tiny hole in the floor he had In 1985, bodies of 12 drowning victims gouged with a railroad spike and a paring of ruling mili.tary council were recovered from the Rio Grande, knife. · which divides this metropolitan area of 1.5 BY MARGARET JAYKO strikes and protests called by a broad coali-. The media has carried extensive cover­ "The people are fed up. We must have a tion of 57 opposition organizations. million people into Juarez, Mexico, and El age of this event blaming smugglers for the Paso. change of government." By the end of the week, soldiers had deaths. Little mention is made of the grind­ This statement by one of the leaders of killed 23 people and wounded more than So far this year 42 bodies have been ing poverty in the Mexican interior and the the ongoing protests against the military re­ 100. pulled from the river. intense exploitation of Mexican workers by gime in Haiti sums up the mood among the The government's concessions, rather These figures do not include those U.S. companies on both sides of the bor­ masses of people of that impoverished than quelling the mass movement, have maimed and killed in the El Paso rail yards. der. Caribbean country. sparked renewed calls for the regime's res­ Confrontations with the U.S. Border These U.S. companies, with "twin­ On July 2, Haiti's government was ignation. Patrol (La migra) have become increasingly plant" facilities on both sides of the border, forced to retreat on its decision to take con­ The national strike resumed Monday, nasty. La migra routinely makes more than pay workers on the Mexican side between trol of the upcoming elections for public July 6, · after a weekend break to allow 20,000 arrests a month here. 50 and 75 cents an hour. office out of the hands of the constitution­ people to buy food and other necessitie~. ally designated electoral council and give it Businesses, offices, stores, and pubhc Recently Ia migla agents have been in­ The League for Immigration and Border to the Ministry of the Interior. transportation remained closed. volved in the shooting and drowning of Rights Education (LIBRE) issued a state­ The government was also compelled to Soldiers were instructed to stay off the Mexicans, and they chased a teenager onto ment that began, "Why did 18 men perish announce that it would rescind its dissolu­ streets, thus allowing the July 6 and 7 pro­ a highway where he was sbUck by a car and . in a boxcar near Sierra Blanca? Because, tion of the Autonomous Confederation of tests to proceed peacefully. killed. They also drove into Juarez and set like millions of other people in America, Haitian Workers. Meanwhile, U.S., French, and Cana­ fire to a house there. they were trying to get to work. But unlike The ruling junta had declared the union -dian diplomats assured the military regime so-called 'legal' humans who enjoy the According to the lone survivor of the dissolved on June 30. Because the union's of their governments' continuing support. boxcar incident, three coyotes (smugglers) dignity of riding in a car or bus, the men officers are facing charges of intimidation Washington funds Haiti's rulers to the tunC? died because they were forced to travel like made arrangements for the 19 people to and incitement to riot, however, the union of $100 million. The U.S. government was board the boxcar as it pulled out of El Paso. freight, like insects. Such is the reality of will have to have a new executive commit­ also the biggest backer of the tyrannical work for poor people from Third World One of the coyotes stayed behind. The tee, according to government spokes­ Duvalier dynasty, which was ousted as a countries, who, due to our cynical immi­ other two were supposed to stay on board people. And no date was set for the union's result of popular protests in February 1986. gration policy, are classified as illegal and cut a hole in the floor of the boxcar so reinstatement. The current ruling council was handpicked the group could exit in Fort Worth.