Timor Leste's Petroleum fund


16Mb. 96kbps mono 21:42 mins.

Jennifer Drysdale at the Centre for Environmental Studies at the Australian National University spent 2 years in Timor Leste researching the governance of East Timor's hard won petroleum resources. Now, with the new Timorese Parliament taking control of the Petroleum Fund she talks with Nimbin Community Radio 2NimFm about the past and future prospects for East Timor's budding economy. The lineup of political parties that kept Fretilin out of government campaigned strongly on accusations that Fretilin was 'holding out' on the petroleum fund. Yet, the new parliament shows no signs of changing the Fretilin policy. Jennifer's PhD. research turns Australian media preconceptions on its head, indicating that the Fretilin policy was, in fact, what the people really wanted, and that Fretilin was actually responding to the popular will.



Bolivian President Evo Morales on The Daily Show


Bolivian President Evo Morales interviewed by Jon Stewart.

US grab for Bolivian gas

18Mb 128kbps mono 20 minutes
Latin Radical interviews Stuart Munkton from the Latin American desk of Green Left Weekly. The US Administration is manoevring to depose Bolivia's first indigenous President Evo Morales using similar tactics to the ones they used in the attempted coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2002. Direct US intervention into Venezuelan politics was exposed by lawyer-writer Eva Golinger, who will be speaking at this years Latin America and Asia Pacific Forum on October 11-14, on her latest investigations into US designs on the government of Bolivia.

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SIGN online petition:US hands off Bolivia! Respect Bolivian sovereignty

We, the undersigned, call on the US government to cease interference into Bolivian affairs, to respect Bolivia's sovereignty and the democratic decisions of the Bolivian people.

We call on governments from around the world to follow the example of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and publicly oppose any US intervention or attempts to remove the elected, legitimate government of Bolivia.


.What they did to Venezuela they are preparing for Bolivia

US hands off Bolivia and Latin America!
Respect national sovereignty and self determination!
The Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network declares its solidarity with the people of Bolivia and support for their right to determine their own government and policies in the face of a US-backed campaign to undermine and overthrow the elected government of President Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president who won a free and fair election in December 2005 with nearly 54% of the vote.
The AVSN has long campaigned in defence of the principle of self determination and sovereignty for Venezuela. Just as the US government conspired with local right-wing forces to briefly overthrow the elected Chavez government in a military coup April 2002, the same forces are today working towards the same end in Bolivia.

As a destabilisation campaign, with violent riots by right-wing forces, unfolds, it has become clear that Bolivia’s democracy is under threat. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, with Evo Morales by his side, warned on September 10 that the US was replicating its campaign against his government in Bolivia. Chavez stated that just as Venezuela faced “a coup, driven forward and financed by the government of the United States, the same is occurring in Bolivia”. Chavez insisted that Venezuela would support Bolivia against US aggression and in defence of democracy.

US-Venezuelan lawyer Eva Golinger, who has previously exposed secret US intervention into Venezuela, has revealed that US-funded agencies such as USAID and National Endowment for Democracy, that helped fund and organise groups inside Venezuela that have worked to overthrow the government, are also funding to the tune of US$13.3 million similar groups in Bolivia to the same end.
While the AVSN exists principally to build solidarity with Venezuela, President Chavez has always insisted that the Venezuelan revolution is one part of a struggle across the region for the ability of Latin American countries to determine their own future.

The AVSN recognises the US-backed right-wing campaign to overthrow the Morales government is also aimed at undermining the growing movement for integration in Latin America and isolating the Venezuelan government. After Morales’ election, Bolivia joined the Venezuelan-initiated Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, which challenges US-pushed free trade policies.

We demand that the US cease working to destablise and overthrow governments in Latin America. We congratulate the statements of President Chavez offering support for Bolivia against US aggression, and we add our weight to his call for solidarity. US hands off Latin America!

Julie Webb on the new Mexican Revolution

18.6Mb 64kbps 40minutes 45 seconds

Julie Webb has just returned after 9 months in Mexico where she worked as a correspondent for Narco-News, and a human rights observer on remote Zapatista communities. In that time she saw sub-commandante Marcos in action, met other Zapatista leaders, and was active in fending off violent attempts by landowners to force Zapatista communities off their land and out of their homes. This was done using Zapatista tactics of non-violence. She observed the Zapatista movement supporting the 'other government' - an alternative movement aiming for a government in Mexico based on grass roots democracy and indigenous traditions - which is establishing itself all over Mexico. In the state of Oaxaca the 'Other Government' now ignores the State governor and runs much of the state from grass-roots community organisations. Julie is now in New Zealand and planning to return to Mexico soon.

Direct download: JWebbinterva64.mp3