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December 1 is remembered by West Papuans as the day they should have been granted independence over 40 years ago. This year thousands of people across West Papua will be risking their lives by publicly calling for independence from Indonesia. In solidarity …December 1st – West Papuan Independence DayThe 1st December is remembered by West Papuans as the day they should have been granted independence over 40 years ago. This year thousands of people across West Papua will be risking their lives by publicly calling for independence from Indonesia. In solidarity with them we will be holding an important day of action in London, we hope you will be able to join us.

THE balancing act between individual freedom and social order goes to the heart of democratic societies. And while there are rights on both sides, the exercise of those rights often involves trade-offs and compromises. Which is why politicians in Western Australia must take care with pending legislation that would increase police powers to stop and search citizens.Such law and order policies make for easy politics, especially among middle-class groups unlikely to be directly affected. But street kids, Aborigines, even young Lebanese Australian males, to name just a few, may have a more jaundiced view of powers allowing police to apprehend them at will. It is these groups who are easily labelled who have most to fear from the Criminal Investigation Amendment Bill expected to pass the WA parliament soon.

SUVA (Radio New Zealand/Pacific Media Watch): The military-led regime in Fiji is rejecting claims it has revoked broadcasting licences to clamp down further on the media.Australia’s Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says the authorities in Suva have made changes to broadcasting arrangements, effectively seizing all licences.Smith says the action has been carried out by decree, which no court or other agency can overturn and the move is an escalation of the regime’s efforts to impose itself on its critics.Fiji broadcasters say they are having to justify their continued use of radio and television frequencies.Australian media reported television and radio stations were broadcasting this weekend on a temporary basis while awaiting a directive from Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.Sayed-Khaiyum, also Communications Minister, is regarded as the government’s second most powerful figure after military commander Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

Greenpeace activists have boarded a boat carrying palm kernel animal feed from Indonesia, chaining themselves to the boat and its four cargo cranes off the coast of Tauranga. The boat, the East Ambition, is several kilometres off the Tauranga coast. The 12 activists are calling on Prime Minister John Key to stop imports of palm kernel, used for animal feed on New Zealand farms and sold by Fonterra's RD1.Greenpeace activist Jo McVeagh said the palm kernel crop encourages rain forest destruction and adds to climate change.She described Fonterra's involvement as "criminal".

Yesterday I came across a Chinese demonstration outside the State Library in Swanston Street, Melbourne, calling on Australians to support the Olympics in Beijing. The message was that the Western media has distorted the events surrounding Tibet. After all, the banners told us, Tibet was, is and always will be part of China.

An unruly situation emerged when a group of LTTE activists in Australia tried to obstruct a peace rally organized by a number of Sri Lankan residents in Melbourne on Saturday morning. Sri Lankan residents in Melbourne organized a peaceful demonstration in front of the Melbourne State Parliament displaying banners demanding that the LTTE release civilians in the Wanni. Around 2000 people took part in the demonstration.  The demonstration was staged for several hours before a group of LTTE activists who came to the location in their vehicles started parading the area displaying Tiger flags, rally organizers told Auslanka Education.

About 300 protesters from Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney converged on the National Press Club yesterday to protest against Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama's visit. Waving placards that said ''Don't kill Tamils'' and ''Recognise our cry for freedom'', the crowd gathered from 11am. As the delegation arrived, the crowd cried, ''We need press freedom'', ''Don't kill journalists'' and ''Tamils want democracy'' at the motorcade. Although vocal, the crowd was well-behaved.

SYDNEY, Sept 4 (Reuters) - The first APEC protest was staged in Sydney on Tuesday, hours before U.S. President George W. Bush was due to arrive for a summit of 21 Asia-Pacific leaders, but police and media far outnumbered activists.Chanting "Bush go home", "Out of Iraq" and "Go Back to Texas now", about 100 protesters staged a peaceful but noisy demonstration outside Sydney's main railway station.Ringed and photographed by police, protesters waved anti-Iraq war and anti-Bush posters, while a tall black and white skeleton puppet danced as rush-hour commuters headed home."We cannot sit on the sidelines while a warmonger like George Bush comes to our country," protest organiser Alex Bainbridge told the "Stop Bush 2007" rally.But within an hour most protesters had dispersed.Australian police said they expect violent protests during the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit week and have launched the nation's biggest ever security operation.Authorities have erected a 5-km (3-mile) security fence across the central business district to isolate the leaders in the Sydney Opera House and nearby hotels. A total of 5,000 police and troops are patrolling the city centre.Protesters plan a major rally on Saturday, the first day the leaders meet, but police have refused to issue a march permit."Our intelligence tells us there is an intent to act violently," New South Wales (NSW) state Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said.COURT ACTIONPolice took court action on Tuesday to stop the march. The court adjourned the case until Wednesday, saying protesters had insufficient time to prepare for the case.Police said they are not opposed to a march but reject the protesters' planned route, which passes the U.S. Consulate in Sydney, but is several city blocks from the summit venue."We are not going to be intimidated," said Bainbridge who is organising the "Stop Bush Coalition" march on Saturday, promising 20,000 protesters will take to the streets."We cannot stop defending our democratic rights, defending our civil liberties," Bainbridge said.With Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the APEC summit, protesters also plan to demonstrate against human rights abuses in China, nuclear proliferation and global warming.Police warned Sydney residents to avoid protests."Be aware of the mob rule mentality. Don't be enticed by those that would seek to have you get involved in an unlawful act," Scipione told a news conference.Members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which is outlawed in China, staged a candle-lit protest when Hu arrived in the outback mining state of Western Australia on Monday and plan similar protests in Canberra and Sydney, following Hu throughout his Australian trip.Sydney school students plan to walk out of classrooms on Wednesday to protest against Bush and the Iraq war, but authorities have warned children not to join in any protests."Our very strong message to school kids and to their parents is that tomorrow is a school day -- you're expected to be at school," said NSW deputy premier John Watkins.