Meetings show wide backing for April 25 • 3 TH£ In Nicaragua, prisoners have human rights . 8 SWAPO leader on Namibia freedom tight . 11 A SOCIALIST NEWSWEEKLY PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF WORKING PEOPLE VOL. 51/NO. 6 FEBRUARY 13, 1987 75 CENTS Sandinista Philippine plebiscite leader answers sparks intense debate BY DEB SHNOOKAL Reagan AND RUSSELL JOHNSON MANILA - In the first vote since dic­ tator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown in BY CINDY JAQUITH February 1986, Filipinos voted 4-to-1 for a MANAGUA, Nicaragua - "Reagan is proposed new constitution. The plebiscite reaffmning his policy of war. We are reaf­ was held February 2. firming our policy of dignity, of struggle, The supporters of the government of of no surrender; our policy of peace," said President Corazon Aquino and its rightist Gen. Humberto Ortega, head of the San­ opponents presented the issue in the plebis­ dinista People's Army, January 28. cite as simply "for or against Aquino.'' Ortega was addressing 2,500 Nicara­ The campaign to ratify the new constitu­ guan union officials, community activists, tion adopted slogans such as "Yes for sta­ and women and youth leaders here the bility, yes for democracy," and, "Give night after President Ronald Reagan's peace a chance." State of the Union speech. In his speech, Events in the weeks preceding the vote Reagan pledged to continue aiding the con­ on the constitution tended to reinforce the tra mercenaries waging war on Nicaragua. popular appeal of such slogans. Ortega pointed out that the Reagan The Aquino government was rocked by speech comes in the context of the irrever­ a number of crises leading up to the Feb­ sible defeat being suffered by the contras at ruary 2 referendum. On January 22 a dem­ the hands of the armed Nicaraguan people. onstration of peasants demanding land was Already in the first 28 days of 1987, San­ fired on by the military as it marched to the dinista troops have killed 300 contras and Malacafiang presidential palace. wounded 200. Meanwhile, pressure is in­ Nineteen were killed and many wound­ creasing on Washington from Latin Amer­ ed. This was the first large-scale massacre ican governments to negotiate with Nicara­ of peaceful protesters under the Aquino gua. government. Nevertheless, Ortega continued, "we While ordering an inquiry into the shoot­ should be clear that the military situation ings, which became known as the "Men­ Nineteen peasants were murdered by military as·they demonstrated for land O..tside remains.serious." The Reagan administra­ diola massacre" after the name of the presidential palace January 22. tion still hopes "to destroy the Nicaraguan · · bridge where it took place, Aquino refused revolution." to put the blame squarely on the military. January 26 at Malacafiang. This was fol­ agreed to surrender peacefully to him. He reported that Washington has re­ Some in the Aquino camp were deeply lowed by "people's strikes" in Mindanao, Aquino then praised Ramos' actions at a cently increased the number of .warships shaken by the incident.. A majority of the Cebu, the Bataan Export Processing Zone rally of 300,000 supporting ratification of off Nicaragua's coasts and the number of members of the Presidential Committee on (BEPZ - a free-trade area), and many the constitution. spy flights over the Pacific Coast and the Human Rights resigned in protest. other parts of the country; On January 31, just before the plebis­ Managua region in particular. Meanwhile a Maria Diokno resigned from the govern­ Less than a week after the January 22 cite, three pickets were shot dead and 36 U.S. destroyer has arrived in the Costa ment negotiating team conducting peace shootings, some 500 rightist-led soldiers others were wounded when the military Rican port of Puerto Limon. talks with the National Democratic Front. attacked several military and other installa­ smashed through barricades in an effort to The U.S.-organized mercenaries con­ This coalition supports tile armed struggle tions. They succeeded in capturing a build­ break a strike in the BEPZ. tinue to try to infiltrate Nicaragua's north­ waged by the rural~based New People's ing housing television station Channel 7 At a February 3 news conference called em and southern borders. The CIA is cur­ Army. and a radio station. They holed up there for to protest this attack, KMU Chainnan Cris­ rently trying to launch an offensive from In response to the shooting, the NDF four days, attracting support from en­ pin Beltran demanded Aquino prosecute Honduras into Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast, withdrew from the talks and abandoned the thusiastic Marcos loyalists. those responsible. home of most Nicaraguans who are Black public otfice it opened in the National Aquino threatened the rebel officers "It is ironical that while the government or Indian. Press Club in December. NDF negotiators with court-martial. But armed forces chief treats the workers and peasants with vio­ Military defense thus remains the central went into hiding. A 60-day cease-fire be­ Fidel Ramos ignored her threat to storm the lence and deception, it treats criminal ele­ task . for Nicaraguans· in 1987, Ortega tween the guerrillas and the government is occupied station. He waited until the rebels Continued on Page 13 explained. "We have to prepare ourselves due to end February 8. in order to demonstrate that our people are The Aquino government was also dam­ willing to fight.'' aged when tapes were published revealing This will include a major campaign to that Aquino and executive secretary Joker give thousands of Managuans military Arroyo, under pressure from the U.S. State Kanak freedom fighters training over the coming months. They will Department, had discussed influencing the both strengthen defense here in the capital votes of members of the commission that and be ready for missions in other parts of drafted the constitution. The issue was meet in New Caledonia the country. whether the constitution should allow U.S. Through this mobilization, Ortega said, military bases on Philippine soil. BY SAM MANUEL in the area known as the South Pacific Managuans can help defeat the remaining The May 1 Movement (KMU), a mili­ ARAMA, New Caledonia - Over 400 Forum group voted to recommend to the contras in the countryside "more rapidly." tant trade-union federation, and the Philip­ Kanaks and independence supporters at­ United Nations Decolonization Committee Those Managuans not called up for mil­ pine Peasant Movement (KMP) responded tended a national congress of the Kanak: that New Caledonia be listed as a non-self­ Continued on Page 2 to the massacre with a rally of 30,000 on Socialist National Liberation Front governing country - that is, a colony of (FLNKS) held here January 30-February France. 1. Among the .countries included in the The FLNKS grew out of an uprising South Pacific Forum are Fiji, Vanuatu, Civil rights activists attend church against French colonialism in 1984-85. Even the French authorities estimate the in all-white ·Georgia county FLNKS .enjoys the support of at least 80 Sam Manuel will soon ·join Deb percent of the Kanaks and a smaller Shnookal and Russen Johnson in BY SARAH JEAN JOHNSTON ganized attack on an antiracist march on number of whites and Polynesians. The the Philippines, where they will population of New Caledonia is 120,000, AND KEN MILlNER January 17. provide on-the-spot coverage. Be­ CUMMING, Ga.-Veteran civil rights half of which are Kanaks, the indigenous In the frrst major act of integrating an in­ inhabitants of the island. fore arriving in New Caledonia, leader Hosea Williams led a caravan with stitution in Forsyth County, the biracial 75 people from Atlanta to eight all-white Though it is a French colony, New Manuel was in New Zealand and group from Atlanta was received by close Caledonia has a 43-member territorial as­ churches in Forsyth County on Sunday, to 2,000 Forsyth residents. In many cases, Australia. February 1. sembly with limited powers. Representa­ there was an emotional outpouring of tion comes from four regions. The FLNKS Escorted by County Sheriff Wesley warmth and friendship. controls three of the four. Cook Islands, Samoa, New Zealand, and Walraven, and monitored by the Georgia At the Cumming United Methodist The central purpose of the congress was Australia. Bureau of Investigation and an observer Church, chairs were unfolded to make to de_cide how to respond to the French Reaction from Paris has been swift. from the U.S. Justice Department, the room for eight Blacks who were seated in government's proposal for a referendum on Vanuatu's Prime Minister Walter Lini re­ caravan met no incidents at any of the the aisle. Harold Lawrence, the pastor, of­ independence for the island, tentatively vealed on Radio Australia that French aid churches. fered a welcome to the delegation and scheduled for July. to Vanuatu had been cut by 10 percent. This action took place one week after urged, "You join us whenever possible." The French proposal is an unabashed at­ "French aid will be distributed differ­ 30,000 antiracist protesters marched He then invited a Black minister, Ody tempt to undercut the impact of recent in­ ently now, countries like Vanuatu cannot through the streets of Cumming. That ac­ Wright of Atlanta's Salem Baptist Church, ternational political gains made by the expect more money while they are doing tion was in answer to a Ku Klux Kl~or- Continued on Page 2 FLNKS. Last August, 13 island countries Continued on Page 13 -· ' Austr8li8n Blacks resist racist attacks BY SAM MANUEL when a young Black, Bruce Boney, was When Black youths outside attempted to the town, the Royal and the Victoria, were BOGGABILLA, Australia- Aborigi­ thrown out of a pub and dance hall in rescue Hinsh, the gang inside shut the damaged.