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Military Resistance 8G20: Shocking News! 7/23/10

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7.23.10

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Military Resistance 8G20

THIS IS HOW OBAMA BRINGS THE TROOPS HOME:

BRING THEM ALL HOME NOW, ALIVE

The remains of Army Spc. Louis Fastuca, of West Chester, Pa., at Dover Air Force Base, July 7, 2010. Fastuca died at Abdulhamid Kalay, Afghanistan, after insurgents attacked his vehicle with an IED. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Camp Ederle, Italy.  (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

"Everyone Wants To Leave Afghanistan, Starting Soon"

Canada "Has Not Committed A Single Person Or Dollar Past Next Year To The Afghan Army Or Police"

Jul. 21, 2010 Campbell Clark, Globe and Mail [Excerpts]

Everyone wants to leave Afghanistan, starting soon.

So the international community, including Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, rushed to endorse an Afghan government plan to take more control of the country and its security.

But Canadian policies don't fit the plan.

The whole theme of Tuesday's Kabul conference was exit strategy, and its conclusions argued for something to which Canada hasn't yet committed: a post-2011 role for training Afghan troops.

Politicians who want hundreds of Canadian military trainers to stay in Afghanistan after next summer, both Conservatives and Liberals, believe the conference gives that plan new impetus.

As it stands now, however, there is no Canadian policy to help build up those Afghan forces when our troops leave next year.

Mr. Cannon's message about unwavering commitment clashes with the fact that Ottawa has not committed a single person or dollar past next year to the Afghan army or police.

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN THE MILITARY?

Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the address if you wish and we'll send it regularly.  Whether in Afghanistan,  Iraq or stuck on a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the wars, inside the armed services and at home.  Send email requests to address up top or write to: The Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657.  Phone: 888.711.2550

IRAQ WAR REPORTS

Three U.S. State Dept. Mercenaries Killed, 16 Wounded By Rocket Attack On Green Zone

23 July 2010 Khaleej Times Online

BAGHDAD - The three security contractors killed and 16 wounded in a rocket attack in Baghdad were all employees of Triple Canopy, which guards US personnel in Iraq, the Virginia-based company said.

"The personnel were... supporting the US State Department and protecting the US embassy," the company said in an overnight statement, referring to the victims of Thursday's rocket attack on Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

The US embassy had on Thursday said two Ugandans and one Peruvian were killed in the rocket attack and listed two American citizens among the wounded.

Four Insurgents Escape From Prison:

"The Head Of The Unit Where The Men Were Held May Have Given Them Iraqi Army Uniforms And Driven Them Out Of The Base"

07/23/2010 Associated Press

Four detainees have escaped from a Baghdad area prison that was handed over by the U.S. to Iraqi authorities a week ago, Iraq's justice minister said Thursday - a daring escape that embarrasses a government struggling to prove it is capable of operating without U.S. oversight.

Dara Noureddin said the four, awaiting trial on terrorism charges, escaped from the high security prison formerly known as Camp Cropper.

Noureddin did not identify the men who escaped, but said they were arrested by U.S. forces after a clash with the men in 2008 in western Iraq.

Two Iraqi intelligence officials and a third in the Interior Ministry who are knowledgeable about the case said authorities believe the four men were aided by the prison official in charge of their block.

The intelligence officials said the four were discovered missing Tuesday during an evening roll call. When prison staff went to inform the unit head, they found he was missing.  He has not reported for work since, the officials said.

The intelligence officials said one of the escaped inmates is believed to be a senior member of the group, and had the title of finance minister of the Islamic State of Iraq.

One intelligence official said the four men were officially listed in a security report as Mohammed Hamid, Qais Azmi, Malik Nazzal and Hussein Ahmed.

The U.S. forces handed over about 1,500 prisoners to Iraqi authorities during the changing of the guard at Camp Cropper, but continue to hold 200 detainees at the request of the Iraqi government. They are kept in a separate part of the prison dubbed Compound 5.

The intelligence officials said Iraqi authorities removed many of the officials who headed units in the prison, fearing other escapes.

The officials said a ministerial committee has been set up to investigate the escape from the high security facility, and authorities believe that the head of the unit where the men were held may have given them Iraqi army uniforms and driven them out of the base using a special pass he had that allowed him to escort visitors in and out of the facility.

Karkh Prison, the name given by the Iraqis to the Copper detention facility since the July 15 handover, is divided into six detainee compounds, and is manned by 700 Iraqi corrections officers and about 100 support staff. The $48 million compound was used by U.S. forces since April 2003 and can hold up to 4,000 prisoners.

The escape is the second such incident to come to light in about a week.

A day before Camp Cropper's handover, the family of slain British aid worker Margaret Hassan said the man who was sentenced to life for her murder and kidnapping was missing from prison.

Ali Lutfi al-Rawi successfully appealed his conviction and was slated to be retried. But he failed to show up for his court date and authorities said they could not locate him in prison. The incident is being investigated.

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Corporal Matthew James Stenton And Lance Corporal Stephen Daniel Monkhouse Killed In The Basharan

23 Jul 10 Ministry of Defence

It is with sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm that Corporal Matthew James Stenton from the Royal Dragoon Guards and Lance Corporal Stephen Daniel Monkhouse from 1st Battalion Scots Guards were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 21 July 2010.

The two soldiers were killed on Wednesday evening when members of The Royal Dragoon Guards and 1st Battalion Scots Guards were providing security to the building of Route Trident in the Basharan, north of Lashkar Gah.

Corporal Stenton, of Viking Group, D (The Green Horse) Squadron, was commanding a Viking Armoured vehicle that was part of a cordon to facilitate the exploitation of a number of IEDs and Lance Corporal Monkhouse, of Combined Force Lashkar Gah, was the gunner of a Coyote vehicle when insurgents shot and wounded a member of ISAF.

Corporal Stenton manoeuvred his vehicle in order to lay down fire and extract the casualty, and Lance Corporal Monkhouse provided fire support in order to allow the evacuation to take place.

Tragically, as the casualty was being extracted, Corporal Stenton and Lance Corporal Monkhouse were both killed by small arms fire.

Soldier from East Goshen dies in Afghanistan

July 08, 2010 By DAN KRISTIE, Staff Writer, The Daily Local News

A 24-year-old soldier from East Goshen died in Afghanistan on Monday as the result of injuries he sustained when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb planted by insurgents, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

Spc. Louis R. Fastuca, who graduated from Malvern Preparatory School in 2004, joined the Army in 2006. He is one of two soldiers from the region who were killed in Afghanistan since the start of July.

The other is Pfc. David A. Jefferson, 23, of Philadelphia. Jefferson, an army medic, was killed on July 2 in Kabul, also by a roadside bomb. The U.S. death toll in Afghanistan surpassed 1,000 on May 18.

As part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Fastuca was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which was based out of Camp Ederle, Italy. He was killed in the town of Abdulhamid Kalay, the Department of Defense said.

Fastuca's friends remembered him as a man of integrity and honor. William Rogan Shaw, who has known Fastuca since high school, called him "one of the most kind, good-natured characters you would be happy to meet."

Father Jim Flynn, who served as Malvern Prep's assistant head of school at the time Fastuca attended, said that Fastuca had "heart and honor" and was "very intense, capable of great focus."

"He didn't live on the surface of life," Flynn said.  "There was a depth to him."

Friends said that Fastuca loved hockey and played on Malvern Prep's ice hockey team. And, they said, he played piano in the school's liturgical music group.

After Fastuca graduated high school, he attended Temple University for a year and then took a job in construction, friends said. But, they said, it was clear the Army was his calling.

"When he joined the armed services, he found his niche," Flynn said. "Any time he was home, he stopped by the school. He just glowed with pride that he was able to serve his country. It was a very big and important thing for him."

Shaw said that the Army helped bring out Fastuca's potential.

"He was so talented on so many levels," Shaw said. "I don't think he realized his abilities, but the Army helped him realize what he had. He was the type of person you wanted to be around because he was a good man."

Fastuca is survived by his mother, Monette; his father, Robert; two younger brothers; and his fiancée, Ashley Wilcox. They were not immediately available for comment.

Shaw described the relationship between Fastuca and Wilcox as loving and happy.

"Lou made Ashley's eyes smile," Shaw said. "When she would talk about him while he was away, she would perk up and her eyes would smile. He made her happy, and she made him happy."

Fastuca's body was flown to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday afternoon. His family has not yet announced funeral arrangements.

Upon learning of Fastuca's death, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a retired three-star admiral whose congressional district includes the Fastuca family's East Goshen home, said of Fastuca:

"By his courage and selfless sacrifice, Louis reflects what is truly great in each of us and our nation. I extend my prayers and thanks to Louis' parents for raising such a wonderful son and to his other family and friends who helped him grow into a strong good man."

Louisville's Pfc. Michael Pridham, Jr., Killed In Afghanistan

Pfc. Michael Pridham, Jr. (Screenshot:  WAVE-3)

July 11 By Thomas McAdam, Louisville Public Policy Examiner

The Department of Defense announced that Louisville native Pfc. Michael Pridham, Jr., 19, was killed Tuesday in a bomb blast in Qalat, Afghanistan.

Pfc. Michael Pridham, Jr. was riding in a vehicle that ran over an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) which exploded, killing him and two other soldiers.

Friday, Pridham's body was flown to Dover Air Force Base.  Information about Pridham's family and funeral arrangements have not been released.

The other soldiers killed were identified as Staff Sgt. Marc A. Arizmendez, 30, of Anaheim, CA and Spc. Roger Lee, 26, of Monterey, CA. All three were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, Hohenfels, Germany.

Pfc. Pridham attended Southern High School before receiving his GED diploma through the Army, and grew up off Third Street Road. His mother, Keri Allen, told The Courier-Journal's Sean Rose that Michael and his family saw the military as a better path than the one he was on. She said her son never got into any legal trouble but occasionally skipped school and ran with a rough crowd.

When he returned from basic training at Fort Knox this past summer, he was more mature and laid back, with an eye on building a life, Allen said.

He married his girlfriend, Deidre Leitner, in October, two days before he deployed overseas, and they were expecting a girl. "I still think it was the best choice he made because it made him a man -- but it didn't bring him home," Allen said. She said she takes what comfort she can from knowing her son died serving others, and from the transformation she saw in him before his deployment.

"I adore him for that and I still do," she said, "but I just want him home and he's never coming home."

Pfc. Pridham's mother-in-law, Tamarra Leitner, remembered him as a man with a great sense of humor who cared for people.  "He couldn't wait to get back to see his child," she told Rose. Pridham would call his wife twice a day -- once in the morning when he was ending his assignments in Afghanistan and again late at night when he was starting his day, Leitner said.

Beloved Tucson Soldier Dies From Combat Injuries

July 14, 2010 Fox 11

TUCSON -- He turned down representing a university on the ball field, for representing his country on the battlefield.  And Tuesday morning, former Tucson High School baseball star Spc. Chris Moon died from injuries he received in combat while serving in Afghanistan.

A son, a friend, a teammate, a baseball star and a soldier. Those are just some of the words people use to describe Chris Moon.

"You look at all the things that had happened in the last few days and you just and all I can think about is truthfully just what he was the abundance of energy we know him for," says Tucson High School Athletic Director Gary Lewis

Spc. Christopher Moon, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team was wounded by a roadside bomb July 6.

He was being treated at a hospital in Germany after doctors amputated both of his legs, but Tuesday morning he died from his wounds.

"It was the most difficult thing I have had to face as a coach. That was my worst fear," says Tucson High School Baseball Coach Oscar Romero.  "I was driving in when Oscar texted me. As I said to a couple of people, I will not remove that text message from my phone," says University Baseball Coach Andy Lopez.

"So when we got the word that he passed obviously it was devastating," says AD Lewis.

During his career as a soldier, Moon acquired a long list of awards and decorations including the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Basic Parachutist Badge.

"Spc. Moon was the type of person we have all heard of but have very seldom ever met," said 1st Sgt. Derek Gondek, Moon's company first sergeant. "He was one of those men who no matter what he put his mind to he became a star at it, whether it was on the baseball field or on the battlefield.  He will truly be missed by his fellow war-fighters."

During his four years at Tucson high, Moon was considered one of southern Arizona's top baseball players.  "He was probably as far as I am concerned one of the better players we've had this decade and we've had some pretty good ones," says Coach Romero.

Before enlisting in the military, Moon was named the 2006 Southern Arizona Baseball Player of the Year.

He had a full ride to the U of A to play baseball, however Chris felt a calling to serve his country.

"I could tell by his conviction and his heart and tone of voice and language that he really had that in his mind," recalls Coach Lopez.

"So it really sets your mind back when a kids decide to join the arm services and and serve his country its something special," says AD Lewis.

Not only was Chris Moon a baseball star. He was also a great person off the field. "He was never a negative in any part of the game 'Whatever you need to do coach I'll get it done,'" says Coach Romero.

Chris Moon will never be forgotten by family, friends or teammates.

Moon was 22-years-old.

He is survived by his parents Brian and Marsha Moon.

A memorial in Moon's honor will be held in Afghanistan.

ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT;

ALL HOME NOW

A US soldier with the 82nd Airborne Division on patrol in the village of Kuhak in Arghandab District, north of Kandahar July 7, 2010.  REUTERS/Bob Strong

Soldiers with the US Army's 4th Brigade Combat Team during an early morning patrol in the village of Kuhak in Arghandab District, north of Kandahar July 9, 2010.  REUTERS/Bob Strong

A United States soldier from the 82nd Airborne on patrol in the Arghandab Valley, outside Kandahar City, July 10, 2010.  (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer)

A U.S. soldier in dust whipped up by a departing helicopter at Combat Outpost Terra Nova in Kandahar, Afghanistan, July 19, 2010.  (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

U.S. Army soldiers with the 1-320 Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division after receiving incoming fire from Taliban militants at Combat Outpost Nolan in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, July 19, 2010.  REUTERS/Bob Strong

U.S. soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division are covered in dust as a Chinook helicopter lands outside their base during a firefight at Combat Outpost Nolan in the Arghandab Valley north of Kandahar, July 19, 2010.  REUTERS/Bob Strong

Good News For The Afghan Resistance!!

U.S. Occupation Commands' Stupid Tactics Recruit Even More Fighters To Kill U.S. Troops

A foreign occupation soldier from the U.S. Army orders an Afghan villager to lift up his shirt to show he is not wearing a suicide vest during a patrol towards COP Nolen, in the Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan, July 20, 2010.  (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Villagers complained of indignities imposed by the foreign forces, the arrest and killing of civilians, house searches that violate the ethnic Pashtuns' sense of honor and the sanctity of the home, and checkpoints where they are forced to lift up their shirts, which is deeply shaming for Afghans, to show that they are not carrying explosives.  -- May 16, 2010, Carlotta Gall, The New York Times

Foreign occupation soldiers from the USA make a daily practice of publicly humiliating Afghan citizens.

This encourages self-respecting honorable Afghans to kill them.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RESISTANCE

END THE OCCUPATIONS

TROOP NEWS

Pentagon Security Agencies Tied To Child Porn:

"Some Are In High-Ranking Positions, In Positions Of Trust''

"At Least Two Of The Cases Were Contractors With Top Secret Clearances At The National Security Agency"

[Thanks to Pham Binh, Military Resistance, who sent this in.  He writes: "No comment necessary."]

July 23, 2010 By Bryan Bender, Boston Globe Staff [Excerpts]

WASHINGTON - Federal investigators have identified several dozen Pentagon officials and contractors with high-level security clearances who allegedly purchased and downloaded child pornography, including an undisclosed number who used their government computers to obtain the illegal material, according to investigative reports.

The investigations have included employees of the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - which deal with some of the most sensitive work in intelligence and defense - among other organizations within the Defense Department.

The number of offenders is a small percentage of the thousands of people working for sensitive Pentagon-related agencies.  But the fact that offenders include people with access to government secrets puts national security agencies "at risk of blackmail, bribery, and threats, especially since these individuals typically have access to military installations,'' according to one report by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service from late 2009.

Some of the individuals have been prosecuted and other cases have been dropped, while more have languished several years without resolution, according to the previously undisclosed documents about the investigations.

In others, evidence was lost or misplaced and investigators said they lacked sufficient resources to complete all of them.

Many of those apprehended were swept up in a much broader probe initiated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in 2006. Operation Flicker identified an estimated 5,000 people who had paid money over the Internet to access websites operated overseas.  But until now, it has not been disclosed that a sizable number of cases were referred to the Defense Department for investigation because they involved military personnel, intelligence officials, or defense contractors.

At least two of the cases were contractors with top secret clearances at the National Security Agency, which eavesdrops on foreign communications, according to the documents.  When one of the contractors was indicted two years ago, he fled the country and is believed to be hiding in Libya, according to a summary of the investigation from last year.  The other was sentenced in 2008 to more than five years in prison and lifetime probation.

A separate case involves a contractor working at the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that builds and operates the nation's spy satellites.  The individual admitted in 2008 when he was being interviewed to renew his security clearance that he viewed child pornography at least twice a week on his home computer.

As of December, the individual had been transferred to an agency field office in New Mexico and had not been charged.

"Some are in high-ranking positions, in positions of trust,'' said John Sheehan, executive director of the exploited child division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has been consulted on many of these cases and has reviewed 36 million images of alleged child pornography since 2002 at the request of law enforcement agencies.

The Pentagon's investigation reports show that personnel found frequenting the illegal websites worked at a variety of Pentagon installations.

Thirteen suspects were identified in California, including individuals who worked at some of the most sensitive military installations on the West Coast.  One was a contractor at Edwards Air Force Base, where weapons testing is conducted, while another worked at the Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake.

Their positions gave the cases priority at the immigration and customs agency that first uncovered them, according to the reports, "because the subjects are DoD employees who possess security clearances.''

A large amount of pornography was found on the office computer of a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, including images that appeared to be of children.  DARPA is responsible for developing some of the military's most secret weapons and technologies.

Charges were not pursued because there were no images of known victims of abuse, something that is routinely needed to bring charges, the case summary said.

Other agencies where personnel were investigated are blacked out in the documents because their jobs were so highly sensitive, including a case from 2007 in which a national security official had 93 documents, 8,400 pictures, and 200 movies "that were evidence of receipt of child pornography.''  The individual was sentenced to five years in prison and five years of supervised release.

Others have not led to criminal prosecutions, such as the 2007 case involving an employee at the Defense Contract Management Agency in Hartford who had about 40 images believed to constitute child pornography on a government-issued computer. The individual was not prosecuted because the ages of the individuals depicted in the images could not be determined or positively identified as known child victims, according to the reports.

Another case opened in August 2007 involving a Defense Department contractor was closed "due to a lack of resources,'' a November 2009 report from Pentagon criminal investigators said.

The case was referred back to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Troops Invited:

Comments, arguments, articles, and letters from service men and women, and veterans, are especially welcome.  Write to Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657 or send email to contact AT militaryproject.org:  Name, I.D., withheld unless you request publication.  Same address to unsubscribe.  Phone: 888.711.2550

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

CLASS WAR REPORTS

Pakistani Union Organizers Murdered As Bosses Use Gangsters To Terrorize Workers:

After Hearing The News "Thousands Of Workers Left Their Factories" And March On Faisalabad:

"Almost All Factories In Faisalabad Closed And Two Days Later Were Still Not Open"

"We Will Not Sit Idle But Will Defend Ourselves If Attacked"

Mustansar was asked to start work in an area of Faisalabad dominated by gangsters.  There was no union and the LQM did not have much influence in the area.

The bosses used gangsters to terrorize the workers, who were very poorly paid. Some gangsters even terrorized the owners of small factories and power looms to demand kickback money.

July 2010 By Farooq Tariq, Viewpoint [Pakistan] [Excerpts]

I met Mustansar Randhawa (32) briefly on 19th June 2010 in Faisalabad, less than a month before his murder.

He was one of 30 participants in trade union leadership training at the Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) office. The LQM is a community-based labor organization established in 2004. It has become the main labor organization in Faisalabad, and is now spreading to other cities.

I had been invited by the Labour Education Foundation, the organization conducting the program, to speak on "globalization and its impact on the working class in Pakistan." Mustansar Randhawa and Hamid Shah were introduced to me as two newcomers to the movement.  Both have been active in small-scale industrial zone of Faisalabad.

Latif Bawa, the LQM vice president told me, "They are doing an excellent job.  They have set up an office on Sargodha Road and have put up over 5000 posters asking workers to contact the office about any labor issue and raise the demand that there should be a social security card for every worker."  Latif added that Mustansar was to be "our next candidate for Punjab Assembly constituency 64."

Mustansar told me that he had read a lot about me and heard me speak at public meetings during Mian Abdul Qayum's recent campaign: "I want you to come for my election campaign. You will see the response of the working class and peasantry in my constituency. I have a good reputation and will fight courageously." Mustansar was very enthusiastic about the workshop and was eager to participate in future training.  At his request we took a group photo.

Later, while driving to Sarghoda Road, I saw the Labour Party Pakistan election symbol of an Apple on the back of a car just ahead.  As I passed the car, I looked over and saw it was Mustansar driving with Mian Abdul Qayum.  We exchanged smiles -- and that was the last time I saw Mustansar.

On 6th July 2010, while Mustansar was listening to a worker who had not been paid his wages by a textile boss, an unknown person with a Kalashnikov entered the front room and fired, hitting Mustansar's younger brother, Naseer.

Mustansar tried to save his life by running to the next room and locking the door but some 10 people were determined to finish him off. They broke the glass, the assailant fired at him and killed him on the spot. The workers sitting next to him at the beginning of the attack said "It all happened within a minute."

It was one pm and the news spread like wildfire. Mustansar had become a popular leader of the LQM. He was not a factory worker but a community leader in his village, which was adjacent to Faisalabad. On the eve of the LPP's fifth congress, he attended the LQM gathering at the famous Dhobi Ghat ground and decided to become part of the movement.

Mustansar was asked to start work in an area of Faisalabad dominated by gangsters.

There was no union and the LQM did not have much influence in the area.  The bosses used gangsters to terrorize the workers, who were very poorly paid. Some gangsters even terrorized the owners of small factories and power looms to demand kickback money.

After meeting the leaders of LQM, Mustansar prioritized building trade unions.

While showing Rana Tahir, the president of LQM Faisalabad, the office he rented for trade union work, he remarked that "You do not have to worry about the gangsters, we will deal with them. We are just asking workers to form unions and join the LQM. I am not afraid of any bloody bugger." And he was not. Despite all the threats, he posted flyers all over and distributed thousands of leaflet asking workers to come to the newly established office of NTUF and LQM. Within three months of joining the movement, he was elected president of the National Trade Union Federation Faisalabad division.

When I attended his funeral and the protest demonstration I noticed these flyers everywhere.

In fact it was the only poster to be found in his village. At a time when religious posters dominate walls all over Pakistan, a poster inviting workers to join a union was very refreshing to see.

Ashfaq Butt, one of main LQM leaders in Faisalabad, told me yesterday that Mustansar was with him the day before. He had called to say he needed help in processing several labor cases at the Labour Department. The two spent two hours dealing with several cases in which workers had not been paid minimum wages.

Mustansar successfully argued the case of five workers whose employment had been terminated. Although the power loom boss accused them of taking advance money and not returning it, he agreed to take the five back.

After hearing the news of Mustansar's death as well as the death of his younger brother, thousands of workers left their factories. Almost all factories in Faisalabad closed and two days later were still not open. Mustansar was loved by many.

He was the rising star of the new leadership of LQM influence is spreading to other cities. Jhang, adjacent district saw some of largest workers rally yesterday in protest against the killing.

Workers gathered in Pansra, 20 kilometers from the Faisalabad city center, and started a solidarity action.  It was mainly young power loom workers who marched.

When they arrived in Faisalabad more than four hours later they were over 5000. With wooden sticks in their hands they asked shopkeepers to close their business in memory of the two labor leaders. Hardly anyone resisted. The famous eight bazaars of Faisalabad around Ghanta Ghar were also closed for a while.

Workers wanted to settle scores with those who argued against closing the shops.

Then the LQM leadership intervened to keep the emotion under control. When the driver of one of the public vans abused the marcher's three public vans had their glass smashed.

The police were silent spectators yesterday--they realized any attempt to intervene would only aggravate the situation.

The leadership of LQM gave the police a 24-hour deadline to arrest the 10 people mentioned in the first investigation report (FIR). The police chief assured us he would do his best to arrest the murderers.

We decided to keep the office open where the two lost their lives in the struggle to build a labor movement.  Anwar Awan from the area has taken the responsibility to mobilize workers to staff the office's security.

While having some rest after a whole day of activities at Anwar's home in the afternoon, we learned that Anwar had once been one of the main leaders of Anjman Sapa Sahaba, a fanatical religious group banned by the government. He left them two years back to join LQM.

In his late 20s, Anwar gave me a glimpse of the days to come. People from all different traditions and backgrounds will join us as we become a mass force. In this way Mustansar will remain alive in the shape of Anwar Awan, Hamid Shah and other comrades.

Anwar told us that the gangsters cannot defeat us. Certainly we have come out in the thousands today and both gangsters and working people must have realized the power of the working class.

We will not sit idle but will defend ourselves if attacked.

MORE:

[After Faisalabad Union Organizers Murdered]

Over 100,000 Struck More Than 20,000 Power Looms Factories In The City Today, Despite All Police Threats:

"The Bosses Had Gangsters Fire On The Workers And Pelted With Stones.  The Police Used A Record Number Of Tear Gas Shells And Baton Charges"

"Efforts By Both Police And Bosses To Block Their Strike And Rallies Were Stymied By The Workers' Brave And Courageous Actions"

Workers Strike in Faisalabad, Pakistan

The media reported that the factory owner fired at the workers, injuring several.  In retaliation workers burnt the factory.

Again, when police started firing tear gas shells in the Ghulam Mohammed Abad area, workers retaliated.  The police ran away, leaving their motorcycle behind, and it burned.

July 2010 IV Online magazine. [Excerpts]

Farooq Tariq of the Labour Party of Pakistan has sent us these daily reports on the movement.  Farooq Tariq is the national spokesperson of Labour Party Pakistan.

Farooq Tariq of the Labour Party of Pakistan has sent us these daily reports on the movement.

****************************************************************

19th July:

Strike To Go Ahead Despite The Ban And Threats

Faisalabad administration have imposed section 144 and banned all public gatherings from today.

This is to prevent the strike call by Labour Qaumi Movement that starts tomorrow to press for better rates and wages for power looms workers.

The police inspectors have been calling all the main leaders of LQM and asking them to withdraw the call for a strike.  Every LQM local sector in charge have been called by the police and pressurized to cancel the strike call.

The strike call by LQM was given after the local power looms bosses failed to implement the government fixed 17 percent increase in the rates of the workers.

Although, the public sector workers have been given a 50 percent wage increase this year, the private sector workers would get only 17 percent wage and rates increased if the bosses agree to implement. The LQM leadership gave several notices to the bosses and the administration. However, neither of the two took it seriously.

Instead of listening to workers, a new police chief famous for fake police encounters have been posted in Faisalabad and a new District Administration Office (DCO) is been brought in to deal the situation.

Police has also failed to arrest the murderers of the two labour leaders of LQM who were killed in their office on 6th July.

Police today also failed to protect the two Christian brothers falsely accused of blasphemy.  Both were murdered today in district courts by an unknown person.

There has been a violent reaction to these murders by the Christian youth.  In retaliation, Muslims youth are also attacking Waris Pura area where the majority is Christians. At the time of writing this report, there are reports of cross firing in Waris Pura.

Workers leaders gathered today at LQM office and decided to go ahead with the strike despite all the threats and intimidations.

We need your support. We will keep you updated about the situation tomorrow. Please protest if the government uses violent mean to end this strike by arrests, lathe charge or firing.

The main stream media is ignoring the worsening situation of Faisalabad workers. Not a single report by any main stream media is been printed or broadcasted on the murder of the two labour leaders.

Workers are demanding to implement what government has already decided. It is not accepted by the bosses.

Instead of arresting the bosses, the police are threatening the workers if they go on strike. Strike is our basic human right. It is the most peaceful act of protest that workers are engaged in. They will just refuse to work. They are not violent. They are not doing any suicidal attacks. They are exercising the rights that the constitution of Pakistan has granted them.

We have not accepted any authoritarian rules during the military dictatorship. We will not accept now either. Labour Party Pakistan appeal to all its supporters nationally and internationally to take notice of this gross violations of human and labour rights in Faisalabad, the third largest city of Pakistan.

20th July: Workers injured, arrested at the beginning of Faisalabad strike

Several workers have been injured by police tear gas shelling and by power looms bosses gangsters firing and stone throwing. Rana Tahir, district president of Labour Qaumi Movement is one of them. Over 100 workers have been arrested so for by the police which is all out in favor of the bosses. Workers are out in thousands from different parts of Faisalabad to reach the city center.

The newly appointed police chief of Faisalabad Aftab Cheema is famous for fake police encounters and is showing mussels now to the working class movement. He is been brought in to "control" the labour movement. Punjab Government of Mian Shahbaz Sharif cannot go very far on this road of repression.

Labour Party Pakistan appeals to all its supporters to denounce the use of police force against workers and condemn the actions of repression.

At least two district of Punjab have aroused in terms of class struggle.

Power looms workers in district Jhang are on strike for the last fifteen days.

In Faisalabad, over 100,000 workers have started their strike today despite all the police threats and heavy rains.

Workers have started their processions from different parts of the city to reach the center of Faisalabad despite an imposition of section 144 that ban gathering of five or more in public places.

Today, the power looms bosses in Jhang district have paid a half page advertisement in Daily Express Faisalabad asking government to suppress the workers movement.

The bosses alleged that Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) is linked to Mutihida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a sectarian mass organization in Karachi and is part of the coalition government of Pakistan Peoples Party at Center and in Sindh.

The bosses claimed that 15 days strike has cost them over 9 billion Rupees and 15000 power looms factories are closed. They appealed the government to safe Jhang becoming another Karachi.

Bosses are lying.  LQM has nothing to do with MQM.

LQM is an independent labour organization of mainly power looms and textile workers and the leadership is members of Labour Party Pakistan.  The advertisement is an attempt to smear the LQM leadership and to provoke the Punjab government against the working class movement.

In Faisalabad, the local administration has imposed section 144 to stop workers marching to city center.

They had used all the SHO in different areas top pressurize the workers for cancelations of the strike. The LQM leadership refused yesterday all the fake assurances of the local administration for mediation between bosses and workers.  They have used this tactics several times and LQM postponed their planned actions.

One such action of a strike was on 5th July, which was postponed on the assurances of the administration.  Very next day, two leaders of LQM were gunned down in one of their offices.

There is no way back. LPP appeals to all its supporters to use all means to support the working class movement in Faisalabad and Jhang.

***********************************************

21st July:

Strike To Continue

It was a day for the workers in Faisalabad.

Over 100,000 struck today, despite all police threats and heavy rain on 20th July.

Efforts by both police and bosses to block their strike and rallies were stymied by the workers' brave and courageous actions.

The bosses had gangsters fire on the workers and pelted with stones. As for the police, they used a record number of tear gas shells and baton charges.

Several workers have been injured by either police tear gas shelling or by these gangsters.  Rana Tahir, district president of Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM), was injured and more than 100 workers have been arrested.

Thousands of workers, coming from different parts of Faisalabad, reached the city center. Workers showed their contempt for Section 144 - which prevents public gatherings.

It is just a piece of paper.

The end result has been a partial victory for the power loom workers. They were featured on all the private and public television channels in Pakistan.

Most media reports were accurate: They reported that violence was started by the bosses and their security guards and also by the police.

The only reported violence against property was a factory was burnt and a police motorcycle set on fire. But how did these fires happen?

The media reported that the factory owner fired at the workers, injuring several. In retaliation workers burnt the factory.

Again, when police started firing tear gas shells in the Ghulam Mohammed Abad area, workers retaliated.  The police ran away, leaving their motorcycle behind, and it burned.

For most of the day, Faisalabad saw some glimpse of the 1970s, when the workers controlled the city.

The whole city witnessed the power of the working class as they moved into action.

They were everywhere and the police were unable to control them.

The media reported that Faisalabad was a city of war between the power loom bosses and police, on the one side, and the workers.

Women were in the forefront of confronting the police.  And youth played a leading role.

The media blamed the administration for not listening to the LQM demands in time.

Today, after a whole day of confrontation in which workers had the upper hand, the administration assured the leaders of the Labour Qaumi Movement that all their demands will be met once the workers are off the roads.

The LQM leadership has heard all that in the past.  They told the administration that the strike will not be over until the demands are met.

Over 100,000 workers struck more than 20,000 power looms factories in the city. When the call was announced on the 16th July by the LQM leadership at a public rally in Jhang workers there had already been on strike for 15 days. But neither the bosses nor the police took the warning seriously.

They miscalculated, probably thinking that with two LQM leaders murdered, on 6th July, in their office by some 10 gangsters must have a demoralizing effect on the will of the working class to act.

They must be regretting their mistake.

The workers' demands were simple. They said implement a 17% increase in the minimum wage as recommended by the government for the private sector. However the government indicated that the individual owner has to agree. Meanwhile, public sector workers received a 50% increase.

Yet this year saw one of the highest rates of inflation in the history of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Peoples Party Government has withdrawn all subsidies and increased the prices of electricity, gas, petroleum and almost all household items - as demanded by the IMF. Inflation was ten fold and every single family was affected.

Instead of listening to the workers, the Punjab government prepared other plans. They put one of the notorious police officers to head up the department, Mr. Aftab Cheema. Brought in to "tame" the labor movement, he is known for fake police encounters and the killing of criminals.

But the Punjab Government of Mian Shahbaz Sharif cannot go very far on this road of repression.

On 19th July, almost all the main LQM leaders were threatened by police inspectors. Police from six different districts were called into Faisalabad.

This was all to stop the peaceful action of the working class. But once the working class came into action, the balance of power shifted.

The news channels telecast the police as they fired on the workers and also showed that workers fought back.

The power looms workers revived the Intifada movement. The television channels showed stone- pelting youth facing down the police equipped with rifles and guns.

Leading members of the Labour Party Pakistan met in Lahore on 20th July to chart out a strategy of support to the movement. It was decided that National Trade Union Federation will organize a massive solidarity rally in Lahore on 6th August. We support the struggle of the power loom workers and demand immediate implementation of the minimum wage in all private institutions.

During the second week of August a Workers Solidarity Conference will be organizing in Lahore. All the trade unions and social movements will be contacted for these actions.

The Labour Party Pakistan appeals to all its supporters to denounce the use of police force against workers and to condemn these repressive acts.

The LPP appeals to all its supporters to use all means to support the working class movement in Faisalabad and Jhang.

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