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No
Freedom during Freedom Day:
APL
and Akbayan Stopped From Holding Rally in US Embassy!
June 13 - Yesterday hundreds of
APL and Akbayan activists were prevented from holding a rally
in front of the US embassy in Manila as the country celebrated
its 104th Independence Day.
| The APL and Akbayan rally was
meant to dramatize the fact that the continuing and
expanding presence of US military forces as well as the
abject poverty of nearly half of the population makes a
mockery of the country’s independence. “While
the abject poverty of our people injures our notion
of |
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Kalayaan
(freedom), it is the continued presence of American
troops that insults our Kalayaan,” the APL said in its
Independence Day statement.
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The Philippine government has
announced that it is mulling the possibility of extending the
joint RP-US military exercises being held around the country.
The US government for its part has expressed its interest in
expanding not only its presence but also its role in |
| the
country’s war against the terrorist group Abu Sayaff. Both
the APL and Abayan have denounced the military exercises as a
prelude to the reinsertion of US military bases in the
country. |
All possible routes to the US
embassy were blocked by hundreds of police forces in
full anti-riot gear. This forced APL and Akbayan to hold
its rally in TM Kalaw Ave., less than 500 meters away
from the US embassy. The smashing of the mock tank
brought by the rallyists highlighted the program. |
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The APL contingent was composed
mostly of activists from TESEF, BALIKATAN and NUWHRAIN.
Posted at the
APL Website on 13-June-2002
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