From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Notes of Interest
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 08:23:24 GMT

/** gen.newsletter: 122.8 **/
** Written 12:59 pm  Aug 12, 1992 by sbrackman in cdp:gen.newsletter **
War and Peace Digest - Vol 2, No. 3 Aug.1992 

The War and Peace Digest is a bimonthly international newsletter on issues of
disarmament, government secrecy, media accountability, the nuclear threat (from
both civilian power plants and the military weapons complex), ecological
destruction, and peaceful conflict resolution through the structures of the
United Nations.  If you would like to be placed on our mailing list or
receive a copy of our new information packet on nuclear power, contact
Matthew Freedman at 32 Union Square East, New York, NY 10003-3295
(Tel: 212-777-6626).

Contributions are always welcome.
All materials may be reproduced without permission.
---------------
Notes of Interest

Burma Turned Into "A Backwater Hell"

The Burmese military junta has "turned Burma into a backwater hell
and disguised it all as a pantomime of charming touristic
folklore" (Nation, Bangkok, 6/18/92) said Marcus Einfeld, an
Australian Federal judge who recently investigated the plight of
Burmese refugees in Bangladesh and on the Thai-Burma border.
According to Einfeld, despite international outrage, the military
junta continues to commit mass atrocities and human rights
violation which are turning the country into a poverty-stricken
concentration camp.
        In addition to the sufferings inflicted as a result of the
brutal military oppression, the people of Burma now face a new
catastrophe.  A terror of the AIDS epidemic has spilled over from
neighboring Thailand.  With a genocidal mind similar to that of Ne
Win who once said that he would not mind ruling Burma without the
people, the military government now has a policy of eradicating
the disease by exterminating AIDS victims with cyanide injections.
This monstrous policy dramatically manifests yet another demonic
characteristic of the fascist regime.
        Unprecedented in the history of Burma, the ruling party
has introduced slavery and forced labor.  People in cities and
towns have been abducted from city streets and public places, and
in villages people have been dragged from their homes and rice
fields.  They are used as porters in place of mules to carry heavy
loads of arms and ammunitions through mountainous terrain to the
frontier war zones.  The women porters are reportedly raped
repeatedly every night and fed almost nothing.
        For more information about the horror in Burma, contact
the Democratic Council Burma at 220 East 65th Street, New York, NY
10021.

Conspiracy Catalogue Offers Crucial Documents

A new 1992 catalogue issued by Prevailing Winds Research offers a
wealth of information on conspiracy and cover-ups at the highest
levels of the American government.   Available items include
source documents and audio cassettes from prominent authorities on
the October Surprise, American and international fascism,
assassinations (JFK, RFK and others), the CIA and its connections
to the continuing S&L scandal along with many other shocking
pieces involving the best (worst?) of the Reagan-Bush cast of
characters.  The catalogue can be ordered by sending one dollar to
Prevailing Winds Research, P.O. Box 23511, Santa Barbara, CA 93121
(Tel: 805-566-8016).

French Population Opposed to Nuclear Energy

Though often viewed internationally as a model for safety and
public acceptance, the French nuclear power program (which
produces 75% of all electricity in the country) is not so well
received at home.  According to a new poll released by the French
nuclear industry, 69.1% of the population is Rvery or extremely
concernedS by the risks from nuclear power plants and 63.8% oppose
it as a power source.  In addition, 87% were Rextremely concernedS
about the risks of nuclear wastes and 94.4% would object to living
near a waste site.  This does not bode well for the future of
nuclear energy in France, where overcapacity and financial
mismanagement have raised doubts about the wisdom of continuing on
the course that turned the nation into the top producer of nuclear
electricity per capita in the world.

Earth Council to be Located in Costa Rica

The UNCED/Rio conference agreed to establish a Planet Earth
Council to track natural resources around the globe and propose
solutions to continuing threats to the planetUs ecology.  The
newly formed council will be based in Costa Rica, where
Recological conservation enjoys a long tradition and solid
prestigeS according to Herman Bravo, Minister of Natural
Resources.  Composed of twenty-eight internationally recognized
scientists, the council will operate with support from the
University for Peace and its Chancellor, former United Nations
Assistant Secretary-General Dr. Robert Muller.  Local
environmental groups support the decision to locate the
organization in Costa Rica, but criticize the national government
for being slow to respond to environmental threats within the
country.  Naomi Canet, president of the Association for the
Conservation of Nature, expressed concern that the Costa Rican
government has managed to create an international reputation for
conservation despite the fact that Rironically, we have the
highest rate of deforestation in the world.S

DOE Management Criticized in GAO study

An April, 1992 report from the General Accounting Office found
that the Department of Energy management practices are Rvulnerable
to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement.S  The study criticized
DOEUs failure to oversee contractors actions and points out a
number of troubling incidents regarding the nuclear weapons
complex.  In one example, the nuclear weapons laboratories Rwere
not accurately reporting the quantities of nuclear materials they
had - inaccuracies ranged from 52 to 88 percent of the items
reviewed.  As such, nuclear materials were routinely being
reported as Tin useU when they were actually TexcessU.S Another
incident involved the inability of the Lawrence Livermore
Laboratories staff to locate 10,000 secret classified documents
pertaining to nuclear weapons and laser technology along with the
disappearance of $45 million of government property.  The report
concludes that the problems Rstem from the contract management
approach that has dominated DOE - an approach that has too
frequently embodied the concepts of least interference in
contractor activities and routine indemnification of contractor
costs.S  To obtain a complete listing of GAO publications (copies
are free), write to: U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O.  Box
6015, Gaithersburg, MD  20877 (Tel: 202-275-6241).
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