3. PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

The emergence of people's movements as a political force in Asia and the Pacific has changed the face of political life and provided a major block to the designs of the forces of domination.

Indigenous peoples' movements, peasants' and workers' movements, movements of women and of minorities, peace and anti-nuclearization movements, independence movements, broad movements for justice and democracy have mounted a strong challenge to national elites and foreign powers.

These powers have reacted with fear: the have marginalised, imprisoned and killed. Thy have militarized national life and ensured that economic survival is impossible without integration into the market economy they control by means of transnational corporations.

The task of youth is to understand the Asia-Pacific region as one geographical area, to build links of solidarity and to network between peoples' movements.

Asia-Pacific Is One Region

We consider the countries in Asia and the Pacific as belonging to a single region on the basis of their geopolitical importance in the global power game and the similarities in the structures and dynamics of external domination present in them.

The region is important to the superpowers and the other industrialised countries primarily as:

- a source of raw materials (minerals and agricultural commodities);

- a ready market for products (including armaments) of the industrialised countries;

- a source of cheap labour;

- outports and springboards for projection of military power;

- providing strategic economic and military maritime routes;

- providing sites for nuclear testing and waste dumping.

External Domination

The structures and dynamics of external domination can be

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categorised as follows: outright colonial occupation (e.g. New Caledonia, Hong Kong, Aotearoa, East Timor) and neocolonialism or pseudo-independence. The latter is perpetuated by means of economic and technological dependence (e.g. direct investment and joint venture companies usually involving transnational corporations, retention of colonial trading patterns, tied loans and conditional economic aid), ideological and cultural control (e.g. the propagation of the free enterprise system, consumer culture, control of the media and its use to propagate state ideologies and education of “captives", the manipulation of religion) and, finally, political and military control (e.g. presence of foreign military bases, direct or indirect military aid, retention of military advisers).

It should be stressed, however, that the source of external domination is not restricted to powers outside the Asia-Pacific region. Some countries within the region are exerting increasing influence on other nations. In terms of economic dominance, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Australia and Korea, have become dominant economic powers regionally. The TNCs and other operations (e.g. consultancy and banking services) are able to extract enormous surpluses by using sophisticated pricing mechanisms and by taking advantage of tax holidays, cheap labour and other incentives provided by host nations. An added boon to Japanese and Korean interests is the preferential status given to them by some Asian governments (e.g. the "Look East" policy of Malaysia).

These countries are also assuming a military stance by supplying military aid to other nations. Further, the United States is encouraging Japan and Australia to develop their military capabilities so as to fulfil a watchdog role in the region. Some countries (Singapore and Pakistan, for example) have emerged as arms suppliers to neighbours (e.g. to Sri Lanka and the Asean-backed Cambodian alliance).

Impact On The People

The effects of the domination of the region by extra-regional and regional powers include the support of local oppressive structures and arms of domination. These serve the interests of the elite and dehumanise the people. Throughout the region the results of this oppression are:

- the destruction of traditional and indigenous cultures;

- religious and ethnic oppression;

- human rights violations;

- dispossession of peasants from their lands and the creation of a landless class;

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- rural-urban drift and the creation of slums in the cities and the associated problems;

- economic deprivation, pauperization and a high and increasing incidence of poverty;

- more intense exploitation of women and children; destruction of the environment; imposed nuclearization;

- repressive legislation which paves the way for military abuses, excesses and atrocities;

- appropriation and monopolization of scientific research for the benefit of TNCs and local elites; promotion of individualistic and apathetic attitudes, e.g. the middle class syndrome;

- neglect of the aged and handicapped.

People's Movements

People throughout the Asia-Pacific region have responded in various ways to the imperialist domination of their region. Workers in factories run by multinationals (notably in Korea) have organised unions and have acted to promote issues related to their work, such as higher wages, better conditions and fair treatment. In these actions, harassment by the military and thugs of the multinationals have led the workers to develop a wider analysis. In the case of the Philippines workers are seeing that workers' demands will only be met when the U.S.-Marcos dictatorship has been dismantled.

The presence of foreign military bases, and the dominating influence of U.S. military strategies have led many actively to participate in peace movements calling, not only for nuclear disarmament, but also for the removal of foreign bases. The Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement (NFIP) advances the people's struggle to attain a nuclear-free Pacific. This is based on a recognition of the racist roots of the nuclear powers, and so is a call for an immediate end to the oppression and subordination of the indigenous peoples. In Australia, protests outside U.S. military installations indicate a growing awareness that these bases link Australia with U.S. strategies in the region. French colonialism and nuclearisation is the target of the protests of the Kanak people of New Caledonia and of Micronesian people in general. People's movements have also found that the struggle against imperialist domination has led to higher and higher levels of struggle. In the Philippines the extensive armed struggle against the Marcos regime

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embodies the people's aspiration for national liberation and independence. The people of East Timor have been engaged in a nine year struggle against the Indonesian intervention in their country. In other nations, widespread organisational alliances have been fostered through various sectors as a common appreciation of the perverse effects of imperialistic domination develops.

Between nations, networking and solidarity actions are developing. Especially in 'advanced' countries such as Australia, Japan and Aotearoa, solidarity groups recognise the global nature of forces of domination, and that their own struggles are bound up with struggles of the peoples of other Asian and Pacific nations. Furthermore, a recognition is growing that the developing role of Japanese and Australian military capabilities is linked to assisting the maintenance of present structures of oppression. There needs to be developed a consistent and linked movement in both countries to counter this strategy for the oppression of the peoples aspirations for freedom.

Just as there are many forms in which the oppression of the people is manifested the people's response is equally varied. They can be broadly categorised as follows:

1. Indifference or apathy, suppressed silence.

2. Issue-oriented people's movements e.g. anti-racist, antipollution.

3. Sectoral people's movements e.g. workers, peasants, women, students, minorities, middle-class and intellectuals.

4. National liberation or independence or self-determination movements.

Youth In The People's Movements

Across Asia and the Pacific, young people continue to play leading roles in the struggles for liberation. They are also affected by the repression associated with imperialistic domination. Unemployment, imperialistic control of education, harassment of student and youth organisations, young women going into prostitution and suffering abuses, especially rape, compulsory military service, feature in the experience of young people today. Youth and students have made and continue to make strong challenges to these forces (e.g. Thailand, Korea, Sri Lanka).

Young workers often provide the active members of trade unions struggling against multi-nationals. In the Philippines and India, students join trade unionists on the picket lines.

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Young people are also playing crucial roles through participating in and challenging existing people's movements with new vision and new energy. In the churches, young people are demanding that the comfortable majority accept that the church must become a church of the poor, and for the poor, and to link with those groups struggling for justice and dignity.

It can be said that young people are participating actively in all areas of struggle listed above. Involved in these issue-oriented and sectoral struggles, they also have their own independent mass movements. Students are constantly working with the people, learning from them, and using the advantages of their education in the service of the people.

For many young people their context and their conviction has led them to take the option for armed struggle.

All these developments affirm an ecumenical vision that envisages a reshaping of the established order. It is an ecumenical vision which recognises that the struggle for justice is central to the proclamation of the gospel. It knows that the label "Christian" is less important than the willingness to join in the people's struggle to realise their aspirations.

Solidarity Linkages

Given the intensity of struggle in our region, networking occurs as a result of the strength of the people's movements in a certain place. Other limits also apply, such as the resources available to the movement in a specific country or repression that hampers communication with other movements.

However, several priority linkages are possible.

1. Between indigenous people, especially in the Pacific.

2. Between Australia, Aotearoa, Korea and Japan regarding the likelihood of their being drawn into U.S. intervention in the region. At this point, the Philippines appears the most likely country for this.

3. Between Japan and also Australia, and the nations to whom they are exporting capital and pollution.

Recommendation

We recommend that this Assembly recognise the struggles throughout the region and that all movements and groups represented here build up solidarity links. Publicly we wish especially to express our support for the people's struggles in Korea, the Philippines, East Timor, Sri Lanka and New Caledonia.

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