Timor - Literacy and governance - Bob Boughton reports

Bob Boughton, senior lecturer in Adult Education has just returned from Timor Leste where he goes regularly as a government consultant for their Adult Literacy campaign. While the campaign was showing signs of great promise Bob sees progress hamstrung by sudden switches in government policy on the administrative side of things. The campaign has gone backward since Xanana's AMP colition initiated a restructuring of the Public Service. Bob was also in Timor Leste when the Social Democrat party split, and announced its commitment to support Fretilin in the next elections.

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Timor Leste - Fretilin's comeback.

Estanislau Da Silva was a former Prime Minister of Timor Leste, when the Fretilin was the party in government. Before that, he was the Minister for Agriculture in the Fretilin government. He is in Australia this week to attend the launching of a book by a Timorese man, Naldo Rei who grew up in Indonesian occupied Timor Leste, as a committed supporter of the Fretilin led resistance movement.

Estanislau Da Silva spoke to 2NimFM and Latin Radical at a very opportune time. Australian mainstream media is playing down the commitment of the second largest (social democrat) political party to run with Fretilin as a renovated government coalition in next year's elections. But it looks like the beginning of the end of Xanana Gusmao's hastily cobbled together AMP coalition, designed to keep Fretilin out of power after last year's election result, when Fretilin won the largest vote, but was denied the opportunity to try to form a government, by Presidential intervention.

Da Silva does not dwell on this. He moves on and is at his most eloquent and passionate (as a former Minister for Agriculture) when he speaks about the Fretilin party's commitment to resist the pressures of corporate Agribusiness, and a commitment to develop, as far as possible, self sufficiency in basic food products by enabling small farmers. The current government appears to be more interested in encouraging corporate agribusiness investment. Da Silva says Fretilin is committed to resisting corporate pressures to use Timor's precious acreage to grow biofuels - the main factor in a looming global shortage of basic food products. Important, when even corporations like Nestles are saying that there is no such thing as a global food shortage - it is the diversion of food crops to produce biofuels that is causing the rise in food prices.


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El Salvadoran appeal to Australia - Lara Pullin, on Schafik Handal

Lara Pullin talks about Jorge Schafik Handal, a visiting dignitary from El Salvador currently touring Australia and bringing us up to date on the situation in El Salvador that is becoming increasingly volatile.

Jorge Schafik Handal is in Australia to invite independent observers to come to next year's elections to frustrate anticipated attempts at fraud, and to ensure that the election results are recognised. The pro US ARENA party, which presently leads a coalition that keeps the FMLN out of power is notorious for fraud, corruption and the use of violence to intimidate opponents. Already a number of public figures associated with the FMLN have been brutally assassinated by Death Squads.

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El Salvador - Schafik tours Australia (Spanish version)

Jorge Schafik Handal is the son of the man of the same name, who was chief guerilla commander of the FMLN liberation front (Commandante 'Simon'), during the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s.

Jorge himself has been a militant of the FMLN for 34 years and an important figure for the front, in his own right. The FMLN is now a legally constituted political party, and according to local polls will win the upcoming 2009 elections by a landslide.

Jorge Schafik Handal is in Australia to invite independent observers to come to next year's elections to frustrate anticipated attempts at fraud, and to ensure that the election results are recognised. The pro US ARENA party, which presently leads a coalition that keeps the FMLN out of power is notorious for fraud, corruption and the use of violence to intimidate opponents. Already a number of public figures associated with the FMLN have been brutally assassinated by Death Squads.

Spanish. English account to follow.

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El Salvador News Pt. 2 - Lara Pullin April 27

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Lara Pullin with exciting news from El Salvador. Among other things, FMLN parliamentarian and activist Jorge Schafik Handal, son of the revolutionary guerilla leader Commandante Simon will be visiting Australia to invite independent observers - politicians, unionists, and human rights organisations - to come to next years election in El Salvador, which is promising to become a very dirty campaign.

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El Salvador News Pt.1 - Lara Pullin April 27

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Lara Pullin with the most recent news updates from El Salvador. The Suchitoto 13, who demonstrated to stop the privatisation of the water resources of Lake Suchitoto (part of a strategy of North American mining companies) have finally managed to defeat terrorism charges, with the harsh penalties they entail. But they are still fighting further legal harassment, and other popular organisations, unions and grassroots communities continue to be assailed by the neo-liberal, neo-conservative ARENA government.

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