Spokesman Books

This year's World Conference against A&H Bombs will gather in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the wake of the devastating nuclear disaster which is still unfolding at Fukushima . Understandably, this is one of the main themes running through this year's Conference. Tony Simpson addresses some of the questions raised by Fukushima in the paper he will present to the Conference. To mark the 66th anniversary of the nuclear bombardment of these two Japanese cities, on 6 August, the Russell Foundation is publishing a new edition of THE LEGACY OF CHERNOBYL by Zhores Medvedev. In his preface to the new edition, Dr Medvedev descibes how, in 1987, he met with members of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum. At that time, he had already started to study the available information about what had happened at Chernobyl the previous year, as he was not satisfied with the Soviet report to the International Atomic Energy Agency. His Japanese hosts were not interested in too many details. "We d...

Dear Friends, There is worrying news to report from Jeju Island South Korea. At the crack of dawn on Thursday, undercover police officers came to Gangjeong village and arrested three major leaders of the peaceful resistance to the US naval base being built there. They are: Village Chief Kang Dong-Kyun, renowned peace activist Brother Song Kang-Ho, and base opposition leader Ko Kwon-Il. The South Korean Navy (ROKN) and Minister of Justice Lee Gui Nam also issued a notice to Gangjeong village leader Kang Dong-Kyun and 76 other villagers and peace activists. This notice is a threat to these 77 individuals and civil society organizations for disturbing the construction of the naval base. It specifies the following: (1) These 77 individuals are banned from getting into the public water or land near the Joongduk coastline where the naval base will be constructed. (2) The notice bans the staff and volunteers from five civil society organizations – Peace-Life Association, Jeju Environmental As...

On Sunday 10/7/2011 at 2.00pm Shannonwatch are holding their monthly demonstration at the Shannon Airport Roundabout in their continuing protest against the growing number of Imperial wars by the EU/US/NATO military axis. The new FG/Labour government, despite its commitment in its programme to ensure that its use would be in accordance with international law has not stopped the flights by US in accordance with international law as laid down in the Hague Convention of 1907. It is amazing that the Irish government and all the other governments of the EU/US axis can still find millions of Euros to fight wars while cutting health, education and social services. PANA urges people who can to attend, to spread the word via social media (the corporate media largely ignore us) and help in any other way they can. Please use the contact details below if you have any queries. Roger Cole, Chair of PANA, Tel: 00 353 (0)87-2611597 http://www.pana.ie/ *** Gallows and Other Tales of Suspicion and Obess...

HM Treasury 'in dark' over 'excessive' PFI profits By Rob Cave, BBC News HM Treasury is failing to monitor "excessive" profits from the selling-on of PFI (private finance initiative) equity, the BBC has been told. One industry analyst says its "inadequate" records do not reflect the billions of pounds made in the so-called secondary PFI market. Critics, including some MPs, say the taxpayer should benefit from a share of these additional profits. In a statement the Treasury said it had some information on most sales. Criticism about the lack of information held by the government comes as two influential parliamentary committees prepare to take an in-depth look at PFI. Today the Treasury Committee will hear evidence in its ongoing inquiry into the future of PFI, asking whether it has been value for money for the taxpayer. The following day, the Public Accounts Committee will look at the lessons learned so far from the roll-out of PFI. More than 700 hos...

Call South Korean Embassy - No Navy Base on Jeju Island The latest word from Jeju Island is that Professor Yang has resumed his hunger strike and has left the hospital in Jeju City and has been taken to a Buddhist monastery. Sung-Hee Choi is still in jail (waiting for her trial to resume on June 22) and she is hunger striking again in solidarity with Professor Yang. We ask you now to please make another round of phone calls to South Korean embassies in your country. This time Mr. Ko (in the photo below) asks that you give feedback to the village on the response you get when you call. Even if they refuse to talk with you please pass that information to me at globalnet@mindspring.com and I will send it to MacGregor Eddy who is now in Gangjeong village and she will give it to Mr. Ko. We ask that you tell the South Korean embassy that you want them to stop building the Navy base because it is leading to the destruction of the soft coral reefs offshore and will destroy the farming and fish...

The use of Shannon Airport by US troops on their way to and from the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan has gained a good deal of coverage recently, primarily thanks to the wikileaks stories in the Irish Independent . In Ireland, the new programme for government says Shannon Airport should be used only in accordance with international law. As the Hague Convention of 1907, which has been a cornerstone of international law, says neutral states cannot allow their territory to be used in a war (no US army planes land in Zurich airport), PANA expects the new Fine Gael/Labour government to live up to its promises. In the meantime, please support the Shannonwatch demonstration at Shannon Airport on 12 June 2-3 pm. Also see www.globalintelligenceforum.com which promotes a conference on global intelligence on the 11-13 July in Dungarvan. The speakers include a former director of the CIA and many others. Since the decisive majority of the people of the US and GB want to see the end of these...

STANDING AT BATH IRON WORKS Coastline of Gangjeong village on Jeu Island ... imagine these rocks covered with cement At BIW yesterday as workers left the shipyard I was able to hand out six leaflets yesterday as the hundreds of workers walked past me and hundreds more drove past my little spot on the corner in front of Bath Iron Works (BIW). I plan on going back again today, and every weekday, as long as I continue with this fast (now 3rd day) in support of the extraordinary people of Gangjeong village on Jeju Island. They build the Navy Aegis destroyers at BIW that are outfitted with missile offense systems and will be deployed at the base on Jeju Island and at other bases in the Asian-Pacific thus forcing China to expand its military in response. I am grateful to Dennis Bernstein at KPFA in Berkeley who yesterday interviewed me about this story. I was touched by the sincerity of Dennis about Professor Yang Yoon-Mo who today is on his 51st day of hunger strike. You can hear the inter...