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[Via misc.activism.progressive from PeaceNet's apc.labor]
*Subject: LABOR: International Solidarity: Burma/Poland;SAfrica;Yugo;Turkey
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Topic 201       TELEX NEWS 
hrcoord apc.labour      11:48 am  Aug 14, 1992 
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From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.org>
Subject: TELEX NEWS 

/* Written  2:20 pm  Aug 12, 1992 by gn:geonet in cdp:geo2.its */ 

INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU) 
FAX:218.84. 15  PHONE 217.80.85  TELEX 26785 BRUSSELS 
CONTACT: INFO DIVISION 

Telex News 
No.25, August 12, 1992 

POLAND: Poland's Solidarnosc has called on President 
Walesa and  Prime  Minister Hanna  Suchocka  not  to 
supply military equipment to Burma, after learning of 
the Polish  government's plans  to deliver  military 
helicopters to Burma. Acting on information received 
from the underground Trade Union  Confederation  of Burma,  the 
ICFTU told its Polish affiliate that  Burma's ruling 
military  regime  planned  to  use  the  Polish-made 
helicopters  against  pro-democracy  forces  in  the 
country. Solidarnosc  has  said  that  "the  changes 
which have taken place  in Poland make  it unfitting 
for the  country to  support  any kind  of  military 
regime". 

SOUTH AFRICA:  South  Africa's National  Council  of 
Trade Unions  (Nactu) has  condemned  the murder  of 
union activist Cde Philemon Ntombela on August  4 by 
South African security forces.  Mr Ntombela, of  the 
Steel, Engineering and Allied Workers Union of South 
Africa, was  driving in  a  union vehicle  when  the 
security forces opened fire on him without warning. 

FORMER YUGOSLAVIA: The  ICFTU and  the European  TUC 
expressed their  horror at  reports  of gross  human 
rights abuses in the  former Yugoslavia. In  a joint 
press release on August 7, the confederations called 
on the international community to take  swift action 
to bring  to  an  end  the  reported  atrocities  in 
Serbian-run  detention  camps  in  Bosnia.  The  two 
confederations  have  condemned  reports   that  the 
Serbian authorities are using  dismissals, evictions 
and denying  children  access to  schools  to  force 
Moslem and Croat workers to leave  Serbia. Recalling 
that such trade union rights' abuses were not new to 
Serbia's  communist   authorities,   ICFTU   General 
Secretary Enzo Friso  recalled that ethnic  Albanian 
workers in Kosovo have suffered  similar persecution 
since  1990.  The   ILO  recently  confirmed   ICFTU 
allegations  of   wide-ranging   discrimination   in 
employment and  education  against  ethnic  Albanian 
workers. 

PERU: The fate of missing Peruvian  journalist Pedro 
Yauri Bustamante is still unclear, according  to the 
ICFTU's  Regional  Organisation  for   the  Americas 
(Orit). Mr  Bustamante, a  radio  journalist in  the 
city of Huacho, was last seen by his father  on June 
24, when he was abducted from his home by four men in 
military uniform. ICFTU affiliates have been asked to 
call on  the  Peruvian  authorities  to  reveal  the 
whereabouts of Mr Bustamante. In Lima,  the Peruvian 
authorities have started a campaign to get rid of 400 
journalists, members of the  Fenatrav union, at  the 
state broadcasting company  PTP. The unionists  have 
called for  international support,  saying that  the 
move is aimed at destroying the union. 

GERMANY: The  Turkish  authorities have  refused  to 
issue an exit visa to three trade union leaders from 
the Turkish  national  centre, Disk.  Mirz  Arabaci, 
Tayyar Elmas and Mustafa Karadayi were to  travel to 
Germany on August 5-9 on the invitation of the German 
national centre, the DGB.  The DGB has  protested to 
the Turkish authorities about  their refusal to  let 
the unionists travel to Germany. 

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From: INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS (ICFTU)