The fascist coup d’état against President Zelaya is an insult to all the peoples

• Speech by President Raúl Castro Ruz in the extraordinary session of the Rio Group Summit, Managua, June 29, 2009

Distinguished presidents and ministers:
I shall be brief; there are many heads of state and high-ranking representatives of our governments here who also wish to speak.

A serious and extremely significant event for Latin America and the Caribbean has brought us together here. We all know about the mistreatment and abuse to which the president and foreign minister of Honduras, and the ambassadors of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba were subjected. The right of the Honduran people to express themselves politically has been trampled on.

Our first message to the Honduran people is one of solidarity and support.

Cuba strongly condemns the brutal coup d’état against the constitutional government of Honduras and its legitimate president and rejects the criminal attack on that nation’s popular sovereignty.

Aggression against the political constitutionality of any member country must be unanimously rejected by the Rio Group and in the most forceful terms.

As President Chávez rightly said last night, this is the moment to act according to one’s beliefs, wasting no time and unmasking those who condemn the coup, but then applaud under the table, as has happened so many times in our common history.

In Honduras, there is and can only be one president. José Manuel Zelaya must return immediately and unconditionally to the performance of his duties (Applause).

We believe that there can be no negotiations whatsoever with the perpetrators of the coup, nor any condition or demands of any kind for the legitimate government of President Zelaya.

The conflict between the people’s aspirations for a better future and the interests of the oligarchic sectors in perpetuating an unjust and unsustainable order will be decided there. It is a conflict that transcends Honduran borders and is an expression of the danger of a return to the past of military dictatorships which, in the recent past and with the support of the U.S. government, terrorized for decades the Latin American peoples – particularly those of Central American and the Caribbean – but virtually without exclusion.

We recall the most recent attempts: Bolivia, with Evo threatened by separatism. Friendly governments rallied to his defense, undertook their role, halted that variety of aggression against a sovereign government and a president who, for the very first time, represents those born on this continent who have taken on their shoulders most of the burden of exploitation (Applause).

Before that, it was with Chávez, the double coup, the typical coup d’état, and shaking up the whole of the population and restoring President Chávez to his rightful place once again; the oil coup that cost Venezuela millions of dollars.

And now with Zelaya in Honduras. I don’t know if it is just by pure chance that the three individuals mentioned form part of the nascent ALBA which, although they are not saying it, is worrying many persons.

These three examples alone demonstrate that the oligarchy and exterior forces that accompany them still have a lot of influence in terms of holding back history.

I ask myself what they will do with Correa in Ecuador. I fear that he is the next candidate and the next meeting of the Rio Group will be to congratulate Correa for successfully defending his country and revolutionary process (Applause).

I have only mentioned a few countries; I could mention some others that belong to the ALBA. For that reason, the fascist coup d’état against President Zelaya is an affront to all the peoples and governments of Latin America and the Caribbean, and cannot not go unpunished. Its masterminds will have to take responsibility for the crimes and outrages that have taken place in this sister nation.

The mass media will also be responsible as accomplices, for lending themselves to the coup faction’s aims and for confusing the people. At least we were able to find out what was happening through the vital work of Telesur (Applause).

Equally responsible are the oligarchic groups that are trying to legitimize a criminal act of this magnitude, and reactionary sectors in the hemisphere that are backing the transgressors of constitutionality.

The U.S. government must act in line with its declarations and assume them with all seriousness. I believe in the sincerity that President Obama and his secretary of state can demonstrate, but they must demonstrate it with actions, not with words.

Without popular support, with the total rejection of Latin American and Caribbean governments, no coup perpetrators can last. As Fidel said in his reflections of yesterday, those in Honduras can’t even breathe without the support of the United States or some of the forces with power within the government of the United States.

To the Honduran people, campesinos, workers, professionals, teachers, health workers, the business sectors, and to all the sons and daughters of the homeland of Morazán, I reiterate the message of solidarity and support of the Cuban people, and our commitment to accompany you in this battle for justice and dignity.

Honduran interim government faces domestic protests, international pressure

(L-R) Bolivian President Evo Morales, Honduran ousted President Manuel Zelaya, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Ecuador's Rafael Correa pose for a picture during an emergency meeting of Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) in Managua, capital of Nicaragua on June 29, 2009. The ALBA presidents met here on Monday to discuss the Sunday coup in Honduras. During the meeting, they ordered the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Honduras until ousted President Manuel Zelaya is returned to office in the nation. (Xinhua/Cesar Perez))

TEGUCIGALPA, June 29 - The interim Honduran government rising from a military coup has been caught in fierce protests at home and mounting international pressure.
On Monday, at least two people died and 60 others were injured as protesters clashed with military troops outside the Palace of Government in Tegucigalpa.

VIOLENCE AT HOME

Soldiers used tear gas and opened gun fire to disperse demonstrators who were in defiance of a martial law imposed by Roberto Micheletti, the interim president appointed by the Congress after President Manuel Zelaya was toppled.

A man died from his injuries in protest against the change of leadership at the state-run Honduras Telecommunications Corp, ordered by Micheletti on Monday.

This has been the second death arising from the protests against the coup-installed new government led by Micheletti, who was appointed president hours after Zelaya was seized at his residence by hooded and heavily armed troops and whisked to Costa Rica.

Sixty people were injured and one died in clashes between Honduran troops and Zelaya's supporters outside the Palace of Government, local television channel Canal 51 reported earlier.

Hundreds of protesters, their faces covered in red masks, blocked the roads around the presidential residency with iron boards and stones. They waved the national flag, chanting slogans calling the army "betrayers that have toppled the nation."

A Union leader told Xinhua by telephone that he saw several people with bullet wounds, adding that two ambulances have been sent around.

The interim government has tightened control over foreign reporters, and several of them have been arrested.

MOUNTING PRESSURES

The coup was widely condemned by Honduras' neighbors and regional groups in Latin America.

El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua have decided to halt cross-border trade with the country for 48 hours as part of a broader effort by the Central American Integration System (SICA) to help Zelaya return to office.

The SICA also suspended financing to Honduras by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.

SICA leaders were joined by their counterparts from the Group of Rio on Monday in a meeting held to discuss the Honduran coup. They urged Honduras' Supreme Court to restore Zelaya to power immediately, saying that they would not recognize anyone or any government rising from the coup.

Meanwhile, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), a trade group led by Venezuela that Honduras joined last month, issued the strongest statement defending Zelaya.

Ecuador, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba formally withdrew their ambassadors and issued a statement saying "the only diplomatic representation in our nations is staff appointed by Zelaya."

Mexico used its consular services in Honduras to provide safe passage for Zelaya's Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas to travel to Managua where she represented her nation at the regional summits.

Meanwhile, the United Nations invited Zelaya to address its General Assembly and U.S. President Barack Obama called the coup "not legal" at a press conference.

Micheletti was appointed president in a legislative session that began with the reading of a resignation letter, which was alleged to be from Zelaya but denounced as fake by the president himself.

Micheletti said the country will go ahead with plans for November presidential elections.

Sunday's coup began just hours before Honduras was set to start a non-binding referendum on whether to appoint a constituent assembly to write a new constitution promoted by Zelaya.

Zelaya said a new constitution was essential to mend some "historical wrongs" in the nation, but opponents said he was only using the process to seek a second term which is not allowed under the current constitution.

(courtesy : Xinhua)

Chinese Communist Party chief stresses inner-party democracy

BEIJING, June 30 -- Hu Jintao, chief of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has called for a vigorous improvement of inner-party democracy in order to enhance the Party's ruling capacity and leadership in the development of China.

Hu, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Monday. The digest of his speech at the meeting was published Tuesday, one day ahead of the party's 88th birthday.

Hu said the CPC must pay greater attention to inner-party democracy and actively promote it, because this will help the CPC perform its duty as the ruling party in more scientific and democratic ways and in accordance with the law.

"We must converge the wisdom and strength of the Party to an utmost level; we must fully inspire the creativity and vigor of the Party, and we must spare no efforts to consolidate the unity of the Party," so that the Chinese people can be united under the CPC leadership to carry forward the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Hu said.

The realization of inner-party democracy must rely on the guarantee of all Party members' democratic rights to know, to participate, to vote and to supervise in all internal affairs of the Party, Hu said.

CPC members, nearly 76 million out of the 1.3 billion Chinese population, should be encouraged to supervise and suggest on all matters concerning inner-party democracy, such as the work to fight corruption inside the Party.

Hu said mechanisms to ensure the inner-party democracy must be improved, such as the CPC congresses at all levels, and the system to elect, supervise, evaluate and promote officials.

The CPC Central Committee Political Bureau decided Monday that the Party will reform its appraisal system on officials on the basis of merit and transparency.

The assessment system will put more emphasis on achievements made in "coordinating economic and social development, maintaining social stability, and improving people's livelihoods".

(Courtesy : Xinhua)

China's communist party members near 76 Million

BEIJING, June 30 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has increased to nearly 76 million members over the past 60 years, according to official figures Tuesday.

As of the end of last year, the number of China's ruling CPC members stood at 75.931 million, 17 times the 1949 figure when the People's Republic of China was founded, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee announced.

Last year more than 2.8 million new members were recruited, up 25,000 from the previous year, it said.

Of the new members, 2.268 million, or 80.8 percent, are under 35 years old, it added.

"Recruits from students saw the biggest surge in 2008, up 71,000 from the previous year," it said.

When asked at a separate press conference how to handle the problem of some college students joining the CPC to facilitate their job hunting, Li Zhongjie, an official studying the party's history, said most applicants' motivation was to play their roles in building the nation and the society.

"We have more than 10 million applicants every year, 19.5 million in 2007 for example," said Li, deputy director of the Party History Research Center of the CPC Central Committee. "With so many people, it's inevitable and understandable that some of them will have their own reasons for joining, including finding jobs."

"Overall, they're joining the party to serve the nation and people," he said, noting that the party will respect the members' reasonable private interests, and the members should also observe laws and party disciplines when using the power derived from being ruling party members.

Li said over the past decades, the CPC has learned lessons and accumulated experience and now its governing capacity has won world recognition.

"I believe our party will have a long life cycle," he said.

(couertesy :Xinhua )

Maoist death squads executed dozens around Lalgarh

JHARGRAM: Little pieces of glass still lie embedded in dry earth next to the cot where Abhijit Mahato fell.

On the morning he was executed as an enemy of the people, Mahato had been drinking a cup of tea at the end of an eight-hour night shift guarding trucks parked along the Kharagpur-Ranchi highway — the job that paid for the college classes he would have made his way to an hour later.

But then, six men arrived on motorcycles at the truck-stop, carrying automatic rifles. They announced to bystanders that Abhijit Mahato and his friends, Anil Mahato and Niladhar Mahato, were members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The punishment for this crime, the men announced, was death.

The June 17 murder of Abhijit Mahato and his friends didn’t make it to the national press — or draw the attention of the growing numbers of human rights activists, who have arrived in West Medinipur district to investigate the ongoing confrontation between the West Bengal government and Communist Party of India (Maoist) operatives in Lalgarh. But the killings — and dozens like it — are key to understanding the still-unfolding crisis.

District police records show that 111 West Medinipur residents have been killed by Maoist death squads since 2002. Most of the killings were concentrated in the twin blocks of Binpur and adjoining Salboni — the heartland of the Lalgarh violence.

Seventy four of the dead were targeted because they were cadre or supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Twenty-three of the victims were police personnel; five were adivasis community elders; one belonged to the Congress; another was a former Maoist who had left the movement in disgust. Seventeen CPI(M) workers have been executed by Maoists since November alone.

It is instructive to compare the murders in West Medinipur with those in India’s most violent State — Jammu and Kashmir. In the years from 2003, Jammu and Kashmir Police records show, 71 political activists from all political parties have been killed by jihadists. More lives have been lost in attacks by Maoist death squads by one single party in one single district of West Bengal.

The data also shows the contest has been uneven: not one Maoist operative has been shot dead in West Medinipur until police moved into Lalgarh last week, either by the state or their political opponents.

Most of those killed by the Maoist death squads come from the ranks of the rural poor; many of them from the same adivasi communities whose name the Maoists have invoked to legitimise terrorism in Lalgarh.

The only son of his widowed mother, and one of five children, Abhijit Mahato was the first member of his extended family to succeed in gaining admission to a college degree. In photographs his mother, Savita Mahato, recently had taken at a local studio, to be shown to the families of prospective brides, Mahato can be seen posing against a movie set-like backdrop.

“I cannot understand”, Savita Mahato says, “what kinds of people would kill a boy who did them not the slightest harm”.

Many others have died in similar circumstances. Karamchand Singh, a noted chhau-dance performer, was executed in front of his primary school students at Binpur last year. His crime was to have campaigned for the CPI(M) despite Maoist warnings to dissociate himself from the party. Pelaram Tudu, a locally renowned football player who supported the CPI(M), was shot dead in another death-squad attack. So, too, was Kartik Hansda, a folk artist.

Honiran Murmu, a doctor working in the Laboni area, was killed along with staff nurse Bharati Majhi and driver Bapsi in October, after an improvised explosive device went off under their car. No explanation was offered by Maoists for the attack, why the vehicle was targeted, but Laboni residents say the attack was intended to punish Mr. Misir for renting out vehicles to the police.

In May, Maoists executed Haripada Mahato as he was bathing in a pond outside his home in the village of Bhumi Dhansola. A former activist with the Maoist-affiliated Kisan Mazdoor Samiti, Haripada Mahato had left the movement in disgust a decade ago. He had since then worked as a night watchman and polio-immunisation campaign volunteer at the Medinipur Medical College.

“The Maoists said he was an informer for the police”, says Haripada Mahato’s wife, Padmavati Mahato, “and we swore he wasn’t. But who can win an argument with a gun?”

Courtesy : The Hindu

Maoist Violence Seeks To Destabilise Elected State Govt

AS we go to press, the anti-Communist incendiary violence unleashed by the Maoists continues unabated in Lalgarh, West Midnapore district of West Bengal. During the last three days, 15 CPI(M) leaders have been murdered by the Maoists. Many of the CPI(M) offices were burnt and ransacked. In all these violent activities, the Maoists have been using the helpless tribals, having terrorised them, as their front.

By now it has been established that the so-called `rainbow' coalition of all anti-Communist forces led by the Trinamool Congress had sheltered all sorts of elements and legitimised Maoist activities in West Bengal. The earlier violence unleashed by this anti-Communist alliance in Singur and Nandigram helped the Maoists to entrench themselves. However, unlike in Nandigram, where the Maoists were operating behind the Trinamool banner, now in Lalgarh, it is the Trinamool Congress that is openly aiding and abetting the Maoists to unleash such violence.

The Maoists are operating under the banner of the Police Atyachar Birodhi Janagana Committee (PABJC). This is led by one Chhatradhar Mahato who until recently was in Trinamool Congress. He is the brother of Sashobhar Mahato, the prime accused in last November's plot to assassinate chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya who was then travelling with the then union minister, Ram Vilas Paswan. The landmine blasts designed to achieve this objective exploded in nearby Salboni, 40 kilometers away from Lalgarh.

All through Tuesday, June 16, when the Maoists unleashed such violence that culminated in the burning of the CPI(M) office, the local Trinamool Congress leaders accompanied the mob. Media reports the leader saying, “It is the Communists vs all others now”. Though the district Congress president was not physically present, he had to send his relatives saying “that was the diktat from the organisers”.

Media reports that the Maoists have prevented the family members from even taking the deadbodies for a decent funeral. There are also reports that the entire area has been rigged with landmines to prevent the security forces and the police from reaching them. Clearly, like they did in Nandigram for nearly a year, they wish to keep the Lalgarh region out of the ambit of any civic administration. Thus, they seek to create a “liberated zone” to further their activities by terrorising the local population into submission. The modus operandi is similar to what the Trinamool Congress has done last week in Khejuri. The aim is to establish their political base by eliminating the CPI(M) cadre physically and terrorise the rest of the population. Such a supremely anti-democratic and fascistic modus operandi of the Trinamool Congress led combine has facilitated the penetration of the Maoists in the area.

The prime minister is on record, saying: “Maoist violence is the single biggest danger for internal security in our country”. The Maoists themselves have publicly stated in mainstream media at the time of the Nandigram disturbances, “The Maoists stepped into Nandigram in January 2007 and quickly put together a party unit. They rustled up a 350 strong people's militia and fought.” Further, “The ammunition was mostly supplied by local Trinamool leaders.”

For the past few years, the Maoists had been accumulating arms through various raids on ordinance factories and police outposts. The Defence Quarterly, a respected defence journal, says in early 2007: “As recent as in October 2006, the Indian army recovered a massive cache of state manufactured arms and ammunition in the eastern state of Kolkata. Three people including a soldier were arrested in (this) connection”. In an October 3, 2006 BBC report, an army spokesman said: “The cache of arms was meant for Maoist rebels and other terrorist groups active in and around eastern West Bengal state”.

At the time of the Nandigram disturbances, a Maoist leader had mocked at the Trinamool Congress saying: “They think they are the leaders, they are not; but we are the ones who are actually controlling”. On this occasion in Lalgarh, it is openly acknowledged that the violence is unleashed by the Maoists and the Trinamool Congress and the others are following their `leader'. Clearly, the objective here is to destabilise the elected state government through Maoist violence.

It is a gross abuse of Indian parliamentary democracy that those who have taken oath under the constitution to serve as ministers in the central government are, themselves, leading and participating in the most unconstitutional and illegal orgy of violence resulting in large-scale loss of human life and destruction of property. The Congress party heading the central government far from being uncomfortable is an accomplice in this gross violation of the Indian constitution.

Such a state of anarchy and designed unleashing of violence cannot be tolerated in any civil society. The West Bengal state government has asked for central assistance in dealing with this situation. The central and state governments must urgently act in unison, in the interests of the country and its constitutional scheme of things, to immediately restore normalcy in both East and West Midnapore districts of West Bengal and reestablish the rule of law and civic administration.

(Editorial : People's Democracy)

CPI(M) Central Committee on the Lok Sabha Election Results

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met in Delhi on June 20 & 21, 2009. It has issued the following statement:

Election Review

The Central Committee conducted a comprehensive review of the results of the Lok Sabha election. It also made an in-depth study of the Party's performance.

Among the factors responsible for the success of the Congress is that it could utilise the people's concern for a stable secular government at the Centre. The rejection by the people of the BJP's divisive brand of communal politics and Hindutva benefited the Congress.

The support that the Left parties had extended to the UPA for four years also contributed to providing legitimacy and credibility to the Congress-led government. The UPA government had pursued neo-liberal policies which have heightened inequalities and failed to tackle the agrarian crisis, price rise and unemployment. Despite this, some of the measures taken such as the NREGA, farmers loan waiver scheme, the Forest Tribal Rights Act and the increased minimum support price for foodgrains and other crops helped to mitigate some of the effects of these policies and had a positive impact. Some of these steps were adopted due to the Left's pressure.

The spate of terrorist violence culminating in the Mumbai terrorist attack in November 2008 heightened the people's concern for unity and the popular mood was against the BJP's communal platform which sought to divide the people.

The Congress also benefited from the consolidated support it received from the big business of the country who registered enormous gains during the five year rule of the UPA.

Defeat of BJP

The BJP's defeat is significant because it has failed for the second successive time to win the elections. The main reason for this failure is because the people have rejected its communal platform which was highlighted by the virulent hate speeches of Varun Gandhi and similar
propaganda by less prominent figures. The image of a hardcore Hindutva party was heightened by the projection of Narendra Modi as the future leader of the party. The record of the BJP as the opposition party which mainly concentrated on disrupting parliament and not taking up the main issues affecting the people such as the agrarian crisis, price rise and unemployment led to loss of support for the party.

The Central Committee noted that the emergence of the non-Congress, non-BJP combination which included the Left parties contributed to the defeat of the BJP which was unable to get any worthwhile allies in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Orissa.

Withdrawal of Support to UPA Government

The Central Committee was of the firm opinion that the withdrawal of the support to the UPA government on the nuclear deal in July 2008 was correct. This was consistent with the Left's stand against forging of a strategic alliance with the United States.

Non-Congress, Non-BJP Alternative

The Central Committee of the CPI(M) had called for the formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative as against the Congress-led alliance and the BJP-led alliance. This was a correct tactic. These efforts resulted in the electoral understanding forged by some regional and Left
parties in Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Orissa and Karnataka. However, such an electoral understanding could not be extended beyond these four states and the three Left-led states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. It failed to be a viable and credible alternative at the national level.

Critically reviewing these efforts, the Central Committee felt that it should not have extended the call for building such an alternative to the formation of an alternative government. In the absence of a countrywide alliance and no common policy platform being presented, the call for an alternative government was unrealistic.

The Central Committee reiterated that it will continue to strive to build the third alternative. Till then, whenever required the Party will forge electoral understanding and alliances with like-minded non-Congress secular parties.

CPI(M) Performance

The Party has suffered serious reverses in the Lok Sabha elections. It has won only 16 seats. Nine seats in West Bengal, four in Kerala, two in Tripura and one in Tamilnadu. The Party has got 5.33 per cent of the vote, which is only marginally less compared to the 5.66 per cent it
polled in 2004. While expressing concern about the erosion in the Party's support base in West Bengal and Kerala, the Central Committee also noted that the Left Front in West Bengal polled around 1.85 crore votes and in Kerala the LDF has polled 67.17 lakh vote. Though there is
some erosion, the main base of the Party is intact by and large in these two states.

Review of Party's Performance

The Central Committee conducted an in-depth review of the performance of the Party based on the review reports received from the states. The Party has registered a good victory in Tripura winning both the seats with the Left Front polling 61.69 per cent of the votes.

Apart from the all India factors, the specific situation in the states of West Bengal and Kerala where serious losses took place were also reviewed.

In West Bengal, the review noted the political, governmental and organisational reasons for the setbacks suffered by the CPI(M) and the Left Front. The review noted that there is some erosion of support among the rural and urban poor and sections of the middle classes. There are
shortcomings in the functioning of government, panchayats and municipalities based on a proper class outlook. This is due to the failure of the government to implement properly various measures directly concerning the lives of the people. The apprehension about land
acquisition has contributed to the alienation amongst some sections of the peasantry.

At the organisational level certain wrong trends and practices have adversely affected relations with the people. The Central Committee endorsed the steps proposed by the state committee to take corrective measures at the organisational and governmental level.

In Kerala, the factors responsible for the poor performance were also analysed. The disunity in the LDF and the Party leadership had an adverse impact on the people; the churches played an active role in mobilising Christian votes against the LDF; the association with the PDP
caused confusion among the people. The UDF and media campaign on the SNC Lavalin case also had its impact. Certain wrong trends within the Party organisation have also had a negative impact.

The Polit Bureau decided to have a meeting of the Polit Bureau on July 4 and 5, 2009 to discuss specifically the organisational matters in Kerala.

The Central Committee reviewed the overall performance of the Party in the rest of the country. It noted the organisational weaknesses in expanding the independent work of the Party, conducting sustained struggles on local issues and the building of the mass organisations. It
directed the state units to implement the tasks arising out of the reviews conducted in the states regarding these matters.

The Central Committee expressed confidence that the entire Party would draw lessons from this electoral setback. It will identify the shortcomings in carrying out the political line of the Party and take steps to rectify the weaknesses in the organisation. The Central Committee affirmed that immediate steps would be taken in states like West Bengal and Kerala to reforge the links with those sections of the people who have been alienated from the Party for various reasons. The
state governments will also take necessary steps to implement measures which are expected of it by the people.

Relations with Parties

The Party will work to strengthen Left unity and maintain relations and cooperation with secular opposition parties on people's issues, for pro-people economic policies and in defence of secularism and an independent foreign policy.

On The UPA Government

The Central Committee reiterated the stand already outlined by the Left parties that they will play the role of a Left opposition in parliament. The Central Government should take immediate steps to provide relief to the millions who have lost jobs due to the adverse impact of the global
economic crisis. Measures should be taken to see that because of the crisis common people are not burdened further. Though the rate of inflation is shown to be negative, the prices of essential commodities continue to be high. The government must take steps to curb price rise. The Government has to take steps to devolve adequate resources and funds to the state governments who have to primarily bear the responsibility for tackling the effects of the economic slow down and pursue developmental and welfare measures.

The CPI(M) will vigorously oppose all such measures in parliament and outside which seek to push through legislations for increasing foreign capital in the banking and insurance sector and financial sector liberalisation. The Party will continue to oppose disinvestment of the profit making public sector units, FDI in retail and higher education and such sectors which are not beneficial for the country. It will press for the adoption of the women's reservation Bill.

Protest Attacks in West Bengal

The Central Committee has issued an appeal to all its Party units and other Left and democratic forces to protest against the widespread attacks on Party workers, offices and supporters in West Bengal by the Trinamul-Congress combine and the Maoists. The Party will conduct a
campaign all over the country in solidarity with West Bengal and in defence of democracy.

Ecuador will join the ALBA ON 24 JUNE

Rafeal Correa with Raul Castro

Ecuador formally join as a full member of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) in the extraordinary summit of the organization of the next 24 . The announcement was made by the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, Gualaquiza from Guangzhou in the southern province of Morona Santiago

Correa, who will ratify this decision at its liaison Citizen on Saturday, noted that the addition will benefit the country, block them in the common political positions in international fora. "We will have great benefits such as having a unique position to multilateral agencies that have hurt a lot to Latin America, including the World Bank and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The president stressed that his organization, composed of Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominica, Cuba, St. Vincent and Grenadines, and Venezuela, have pursued a common investment fund and Ecuador will also join the Regional Clearing System (Sucre).

ALBA in the spirit is a little different, because "we must overcome this integrationist vision limited only to trade to support each other, have mutual power projects to improve trade development, not trade based on neo-liberal competition," he said. stressed that "nothing in this accession is detrimental," and the existence of this group and encourages further regional integration in Latin America. Their statements were recorded shortly after the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, announced days after the entry of Ecuador to the ALBA.

Founded in 2004 by Chavez and then Cuban President Fidel Castro, this organization was established as an alternative to integration as opposed to the proposal of the Free Trade Agreement (FTAA), which drove United States in Latin America.

Mangalore - DYFI activists expose expired energy food sachets

The DYFI workers have exposed the stock of expired energy food sachets meant for free supply among poor children at an Anganwadi belonging to Women and Child Welfare Department near Baikampadi here on Saturday.

The energy food sachets which were expired on March 1, 2009 was spotted by the DYFI members at Anganagundi Anganwadi near Baikampadi on the outskirts of the city.

Producing the expired energy food sachets, DYFI district President Muneer Katipalla urged the Additional Deputy Commissioner Prabhakar Sharma to conduct an inquiry into the issue. Katipalla briefed Sharma that there were nearly 10 bags of such expired energy food packets in the Anganwadi.

He also pointed out that another batch of energy food sachets with June 2, 2009 expiry date was also spotted at the Anganwadi. However, all the expired and near expiry date stock has been shifted from the Anganwadi by an official on Monday morning, he added.

Citing the lapse of officials concerned, kattipalla said that the consumption of expired energy food may create health hazards in children.

Further, he pointed out that the district administration does not conduct monthly meetings on food security which is mandatory.

Meanwhile, the pathetic condition of a godown of Women and Child Welfare Department at Ashok Nagar in the city was also brought to light by a surprise visit by the DYFI members along with journalists.

The energy food, which contains flour of roasted wheat, maize, blackgram dhal, toasted edible groundnut, soya, powder jaggery, vitamins and minerals, were being supplied freely under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) of the government through Child Development Project Offices (CDPO). Sachets were distributed to children between 3-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers through Anganwadis.

Courtesy: Mangalorean.com