Friday, March 19, 2004
-Request for Promoting “Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now!” Signature Campaign Worldwide
Mar. 16, 2004
Dear friends for peace and against nuclear weapons,
In August 2003, the World Conference against A & H Bombs launched a new signature campaign “Abolish nuclear weapons now! Let there be no more Hiroshimas and No more Nagasakis.” (Petition form is attached.) It was endorsed and jointly launched by 7300 participants, including delegates of peace and anti-nuclear organizations of 20 countries at its closing day in Nagasaki (Aug. 9). Now the signature campaign is being geared up with supports from more than 45 countries.
In spring of 2005, the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons will be held. And August of that year marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombings. Toward these two important events, this campaign aims to mobilize public opinion on the global scale that refuses the development of new types of nuclear weapons and the use of nuclear weapons and that demands the implementation of the undertaking to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Around the same time, Hiroshima Mayor Akiba Tadatoshi and Nagasaki Mayor Ito Iccho proposed a new campaign in a conference of the Mayors for Peace to put pressure on the NPT 2005 Review Conference to start a negotiating process for the abolition of nuclear weapons. And in May this year, Prof. Joseph Rotblat called for the United States to “get rid of its nuclear arsenal”, or “it should withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He then proposed the Pugwash Conference to undertake a campaign to educate and influence public opinion for the abolition of nuclear weapons even if it would mean changing their “traditional mode of work.
Sharing the common goal of their and other initiatives, our signature campaign aims to build up the grass-root voices to support them all over the world. Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki mayors have vigorously endorsed the petition. In Japan, we plan to collect signatures from 10 million people by summer 2004 and 20 million by the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing in 2005.
Please endorse the petition and also promote the campaign in your country. We also want to ask you to pitch the petition at your group’s website and ask its visitors for their endorsement (or you could guide the visitors to our website petition page
http://www10.plala.or.jp/antiatom/html/e/e.htm
Let us work together to make 2005 a turning point for a world without nuclear weapons.
The followings are included in those who have endorsed the petition:
Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima
Iccho Ito, Mayor of Nagasaki
Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel Prize Laureate
Sayuri Yoshinaga, Actress
Rie Miyazawa, Actress
Yoji Yamada, Film Director
Senji Yamaguchi, Chairperson, Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo)
Sunao Tsuboi , Chairperson, Hidankyo
Hiromichi Umebayashi, President of Peace Depot
Tatsuya Yoshioka, Director of Peace Boat
John Skoularikis, Mayor of Olympia, Greece
Brian Fitch, Secretary General, International Association of Peace Messenger Cities,
David Krieger, President, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Cora Weiss, President, International Peace Bureau (IPB)
Robert Edgar, National Council of Churches
Romesh Chandora, President of Honor, World Peace Council
Alice Slater, Global Resource Center for the Environment (GRACE)
Ilkka Taipale, Member of Parliament
Baddegama Samitha Thero, Member of Parliament/President, Sri Saranankara Development Foundation
Kate Hudson, Vice-Chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
Costas Papanagiotou, President, K.E.A.D.E.A
Panos Trigazis, Coordinator, Citizens of the World-Greece
Mihalis Peristerakis, President, Independent Peace Movement (A.K.E.)
Ronald McCoy, Chair, Malaysian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Gerald O’Brien, President of Honour, Peace Council of Aotearoa-New Zealand
Kate Dewes, Peace Foundation/ Vice-President, International Peace Bureau....
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Breaking news: Announcement of a new art movement - 1 Breath
Who ever read this - Please pass it on - thanks
http://www.1breathtime.com
see video of The founder as he paints in a single breath the “The modern civilization conquers mother earth” in front of
1000 people, until he faints.
Humanity’s time on earth is coming to an end, what remains is only “1 breath time” to change our fate. An Art philosophy
that has been written these days demonstrates by creating in a single breath, sometimes until losing consciousness, the
survival momentum of the no time.
Monday, March 08, 2004
-Korean Progressive Network ‘Jinbone
Dear all,
We, Korean Progressive Network ‘Jinbonet’, restart to
publish monthly newsletter for ICT movement in South Korea
from Feb. 2004. Sorry for long time no newsletter.
In this time, we wrote three issues.
Below is the list.
1. U.S. government should stop the US-VISIT Immediately.
2. U.S. Influence on Korean Intellectual Property Rights Laws Furthers U.S. Imperialism
3. Workers Rights Asserted - Guideline against Workplace surveillance
You can also read the materials with pictures at BASE21 website (http://www.base21.org)
We will do our best to meet you regularly.
Thanks and Solidarity,
PatchA
International Coordinator
Korean Progressive Network, ‘Jinbonet’
[url=http://www.jinbo.net]http://www.jinbo.net[/url] / [url=http://www.base21.org]http://www.base21.org[/url]
tel) +82-2-7744-551
fax) +82-2-7744-553
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* U.S. government should stop the US-VISIT Immediately
The U.S. government began to collect digital photograph and fingerprint of foreign visitors who need visa for the entry into the nation under a new government program, ‘United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program’ (US-VISIT) on Jan. 5th, 2004. By October, all visitors who don?ft need US visa will also be required to have a biometric passport with fingerprints for entering the U.S.
On Feb. 5th, nineteen civic, social and human rights organizations in South Korea hold a press conference in front of the U.S. embassy protesting against the US-VISIT and criticized that it was an apparent violation of human right.
After the press conference, Choi Byong-mo (Chairman of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society), Kang Nae-hee (Chairman of Korean Progressive Network ‘Jinbonet’), and Oh Chang-ik, (Director general for Citizens’ Solidarity for Human Rights) handed over a protesting letter to the embassy.
------------------------
Press Release
U.S. government should stop the US-VISIT Immediately.
United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) has been implemented at 115 airports and 14 seaports in the US. on Jan. 5. This is an identification database system with biometric information including fingerprint and digital photograph of all foreign visitors to the U.S.
All visitors who need US visa should be photographed and take prints of right and left index fingers when they are entering the US and be investigated whether they are on the list of suspected terrorists and criminals.
In addition, South Koreans will have to take their fingers from August when applying for a visa. The U.S. embassy in South Korea said, “the fingerprints collected here is to be identified when the Korean visitors enter the U.S.”
We, South Korea human rights organizations express anger over the US-VISIT system and demand the U.S. stop collecting of the biometric information such as fingerprint and digital photograph immediately.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the goal of this program is to track the millions of people who come to the U.S. and to use the information as a tool to against terrorists’ activities. However many experts even in the US questioned the practical application to prevent terrorists’ activities with this system. For example, for those whose fingers and photos have not been collected in the US-VISIT database, the screening process in the U.S. ports of entry will be useless. The measures are only expected to backfire, aggravating the anti-U.S. sentiment around the world.
What is worse is that Washington has gone as far as to pressure other nations to issue machine-readable biometric passports. They demand even other visa waiver nations make the biometric passports by October.
U.S. Consul-General Bernard Alter recently reportedly said that if the South Korean government does not start issuing passports containing biometric information from August this year, then it would influence whether South Korea becomes a visa waiver nation in the future. We regard his words as an insolent intervention of the other state’s internal affairs of issuing its own passports.
Biometric information like fingerprints is one of the most sensitive ones, the surest tool of identification. Leakage of such information could be detrimental to the very holders. Most of all, once a person’s biometric information is collected, it can be easily recaptured in his or her scope of activities without even consent. Thus it should never be easily available for collection and identification and there should be very strict standard and legislation when the personal information is collected and used.
To collect biometric information as a national policy is a clear violation of the basic human rights such as liberty of body and private life, broadly ruled in the Universal Declaration of Human Right and other international standards on human rights. It also violates the basic principle of presumption of innocence by treating an individual as a potential criminal.
Many countries all over the world have put a strict restriction on collection of the personal information and ban such activities with a long-term and abstract purposes.
The U.S. move to collect biometric information mirrors Washington’s wayward attitude to trample on human rights of other nationals with a cause of its own security. It is an imperialistic approach to twist others’ arms and antagonize any dissenters.
We also express concerns over propagation of the practice of collecting biometric information. We deem that the discussion on the introduction of the biometric passports will be put on the fast track once the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) publicizes the criteria of the documents.
The introduction of the biometric passports can lead to a global-level surveillance over privacy, an expanded version of the state’s watchtower, which the human being have endeavored to minimize in its efforts to enhance human rights and democracy.
Now, we witness the state surveillance unprecedently begin to cover not only the nationals but all the human beings. Against this backdrop, people who are concerned over the human rights and oppose any national-level or global-level intervention of privacy have no choice but to stand against the US-VISIT.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, each countries’s government have granted greater authorities to their intelligence agencies and strengthened surveillance system over their nationals. A lot of human rights groups criticized it very strongly. The U.S. introduction of the security system has now touched off another round of protests in this regards. In whatever condition, we can never give in during this campaign, as we are no longer human being when we give up our due right as humankind.
Last but not least, we feel startled over the fact that the South Korean government has no position to this US policy. While other governments of Brazil and Poland are expressing concerns to this US policy, it does not seem to have lifted a finger on the issue. It worries us whether the South Korean government agrees with the Washington’s move or it will go as far as to adopt biometric passports, degrading itself to an accomplice to the international surveillance system over privacy.
We, human rights organizations, can not repress the anger over the U.S. decision and now delivers the written protest.
We once again demand the U.S. stop this measure immediately. If the U.S. government goes on with the collection of biometric information, we will fight against it hand in hand with other human right groups all over the world.
Feb. 5, 2002
Ansan Labor and Human Rights Center
Citizens’ Solidarity for Human Rights
Catholic Human Rights Committee
Catholic Priests’ Association For Justice
Citizens’ Action Network
Dasan Human Rights Center
Democratic Labor Party, Committee of Human Rights
Justice and Peace Committee of Cheongju Diocese
Korean House for International Solidarity
Korean Progressive Network ‘Jinbonet’
Korean Sexual-Minority Culture and Rights Center
Minbyun-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
MINKAHYUP
People’s Solidarity for Social Progress
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
SARANGBANG Group for Human Rihgts
Solidarity against Fingerprinting
Solidarity for Peace and Human Right
Wonbuddhism Committee of Human Rights
Total nineteen organizations
(End)
Translator: Kim Ki-Tae(Volunteer)
Website: http://www.base21.org/show/show.php?p_cd=0&p_dv=0&p_docnbr=29964
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* U.S. Influence on Korean Intellectual Property Rights Laws Furthers U.S. Imperialism
By Joo Chul-min / IPLeft
The U.S. government has been requesting amendments to the Intellectual Property rights law and Computer Program Protection law of the Republic of Korea consistent with its own policy. This has created a situation where the Republic of Korea’s Intellectual Property law has increasingly become more restricted over the last several years. In January 2001, the exclusive right of copying and transmission of digital products was granted to the copyright holder. In 2003, numerous amendments were made to Korea’s legislation including protection of databases without creativity, punishment regulation against reproduction of technical protection measures as well as granting the judicial police enforcement regarding the control of illegal software. Further amendments of copyright law grant the right to transmission solely to the neighboring rights holder. These cases clearly reflect the interest of the U.S. and its influence on our Intellectual Property laws as unilateral amendments.
Following its review of the intellectual property right protection level, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced September 1, 2003 the Republic of Korea would be placed on their priority Watch List, downgraded from their previous Watch List of recent years. Previously in 1989, 1992-1996 and 2000-2001, it was also on the priority watch list.
This decision to place Korea on the priority watch list is based on Special Section 301 of U.S. Trade Policy. Section 301 is divided into Normal, Super and Special Sections. While Normal and Super Sections are not restricted to a certain subject or area, Special Section 301 is only applied to the intellectual property rights area. In other words, even though the U.S. government can still exercise a sufficient trade pressure power with Normal Section 301 and Super Section 301, the sole intent of Special Section 301 is to strengthen this already biased trade pressure. Essentially, the U.S. is trying to maximize its own benefits through unlimited trade pressure wherever intellectual property is concerned.
Of further concern is how the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) reflects the specific view of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA). The IIPA is comprised of industry heads in music production, movie making, software programming and publishing companies. Each February the IIPA releases its own report which usually coincides directly with the opinion of the USTR, which is not released until April.
Worse yet is how the Korean government not only yielded to trade pressure from the U.S. but also allowed for provisions which would provide for police enforcement for the control of illegal software. Such legislation is internationally unprecedented. Furthermore, as such unilateral trade pressure is biased to reflect only the interest of the U.S. corporations and is even considered an opportunity to unfairly strengthen its competitive advantage, some copyright organisations are trying to gain vested rights through intensification of the domestic Intellectual Property Right.
The purpose of the Intellectual Property Right regime should be equally reflected on the interests of the creators and users, as it is currently it is only respecting the interest of the copyright and neighboring right holders. It is the goal of the U.S. corporations to make this view reflected on legislation of every country all over the world.
The Intellectual Property Right is not merely a possession of copyright holders. Intellectual products would be meaningless if there were no users to enjoy them. It must be recognized that the fundamental aim of the Intellectual Property Right regime is to strengthen the consensus and exchange between the authors and users.
Website: http://www.base21.org/show/show.php?p_cd=0&p_dv=0&p_docnbr=29965
=====================
* Workers Rights Asserted
Guidelines against Workplace Surveillance by the Alliance to Abolish Workplace Surveillance has asserted workers rights to reject employers total impunity in using surveillance of employees at their workplace. The Guide, Workers Have the Right to Reject to be Under Surveillance, summarizes the activities of the Alliance to Abolish Workplace Surveillance (AAWS) in the last 2 years.
The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has led to a rapid growth of workplace surveillance systems. Because of reported human rights abuses where these surveillance systems are in use, the Guide has been designed as a resource to assist employees who may have to work under such surveillance systems.
The Guide introduces the concept of workplace surveillance and practical approaches to deal with surveillance in the workplace. These include defining what workplace surveillance and personal information of workers are, as well as detailed recommendations regarding how workers should confront recent surveillance technologies such as CCTV, monitoring systems of email and messenger services, Smart Card, ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) and similar technologies. Furthermore, it contains relevant government regulations and refers to actual cases to assist workers in determining their own particular workplace situation. The guide also provides information as how to assess whether or not violations have occurred and the necessary steps workers should take to document and resolve disputes regarding workplace surveillance systems.
According to basic rights stated in the Constitution, employees have the right to secure their own dignity and privacy in the workplace. The right to equipment and labor management is used as the primary supporting argument by companies using workplace surveillance systems. However, this argument cannot justify overriding basic human rights protected by the Constitution. Therefore, companies should not put employees under surveillance without justification for doing so.
Nevertheless, companies are saying it is necessary to establish workplace surveillance systems for security management, prevention of burglary and information leakage. In fact, such systems are often improperly used to observe employees routine behaviours, to pose unfair restrictions on employees time and to collect, record and store employees personal information.
In fact, demands by society for increased safety and security, as well as the development of ICTs, makes the expansion of workplace surveillance an inevitable fact. However, in the absence of relevant regulation, it is illegal to secretly install and manage workplace surveillance systems without any agreement among employees and their employers. Moreover, employees should not be forced to forego personal privacy due to such surveillance systems.
AAWS announced plans to visit workplaces and educate employees regarding problems of workplace surveillance as well as to discuss strategies in dealing with the presence of such systems based on their Guide. While continuing to provide alliance support, AAWS will also provide counselling in the event of an actual abuse.
* Alliance to Abolish Workplace Surveillance
- Worker’s Institute for Management Analysis
- Lawyers for a Democratic Society, Minbyun
- Democratic Labor Party
- Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, KCTU
- No Finger-print solidarity
- Korean Progressive Network, Jinbonet
- Korean LaborNet, NodongNet
Website: http://www.base21.org/show/show.php?p_cd=0&p_dv=0&p_docnbr=29899
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-IMMIGRATION’S NEW SNITCH WEBSITE
FROM DEBITO ARUDOU:
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SUMMARY: With Koizumi’s new cabinet push to make Japan “the world’s safest
country again”, dovetailing with “halving the number of illegal foreigners”
within an impending time frame
(
Immigration has decided to deputize the whole country, creating a website
where you can report the whereabouts of illegals to the authorities.
Despite the fact that even Immigration admits the number of “illegal
overstays” has dropped every year without fail since 1993
(
(a friend of mine even received information on the site on his cellphone!)
to deputize the whole nation. But there is a problem--not only in that the
method is insensitive and the definitions of “criminal” are ill-defined--but
also the data collection methods are faulty and corruptable. Anyone can
submit anonymously any information on whomever they like for any reason they
like. There is no accountability, so the potential for abuse is so clear
that Amnesty International has already publicly denounced it. So let me do
the same:
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This post is structured thus:
//////////////////////////////////////////////
JAPAN TIMES ARTICLES ON THE SNITCH SITE
WHAT’S ON THE SNITCH SITE?
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? SNITCH ON YOURSELF
//////////////////////////////////////////////
Web site lets locals rat on foreigners
By Hiroshi Matsubara, Staff writer
The Japan Times: Feb. 20, 2004
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040220a4.htm
The Justice Ministry’s Immigration Bureau has introduced a section on its
Web site that allows people to submit information on the identity, address
or workplace of undocumented foreigners in a bid to track them down.
Since Monday, visitors to the bureau’s home page have been able to access
the form, which, once submitted, is sent directly to regional immigration
bureaus covering the residence or place of employment of suspected illegal
residents, according to a ministry spokesman.
Some regional bureaus have already received information gathered via the Web
site regarding undocumented foreigners, he said.
The spokesman said the scheme is in line with the second Basic Plan for
Immigration Control, which took effect in 2000 and called for a new
information system to prevent violations of the Immigration Control Act by
utilizing the Internet.
The system was introduced as part of the bureau’s campaign to halve the
number of illegal foreign residents within five years, he said, adding that
it also reflects requests from some informants who previously contacted the
immigration authorities via phone or mail.
On the form, informants can identify by name, nationality or other
information on people suspected of being illegal residents, assuming that
information can be obtained.
The informant must also select a primary motive for reporting the presence
of foreigners, with the options including anxiety or concern at the presence
of foreigners, and how they learned about their presence.
It also asks informants to report detailed information on a suspect’s job
and residence, including their company’s name, location and phone number.
The hours of operation of the company can also be included, along with the
times the suspect is most often at home.
And while the form does ask the informant to include their name, address,
phone number and e-mail address, these boxes can be left blank, except for
the sections on their ages and the prefectures in which they live.
The ministry spokesman said the new system makes it easier for people to
promptly report information on undocumented foreigners, although the
ministry has no intention of encouraging more people to report on foreign
residents or to cause alarm about the presence of foreigners.
///////////////////////////////////////////////
Service to rat online on illegal aliens a racist ploy: Amnesty
The Japan Times: Feb. 22, 2004
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040221a8.htm
Amnesty International Japan on Friday called on the Justice Ministry’s
Immigration Bureau to stop its recently launched service to field e-mail
tips on suspected illegal aliens, saying it promotes racism.
The human rights watchdog said in a statement that the Immigration Bureau is
“encouraging reports without any concrete proof.”
Immigration officials responded by claiming the service for informants is
“simply part of measures to computerize” such information. They added that
receiving tips does not mean authorities will immediately move to apprehend
suspected illegal residents.
On Monday, the Immigration Bureau introduced a section on its Web site that
allows people to send tips on the identity, address or workplace of
undocumented foreigners.
On Monday and Tuesday alone, the bureau received tips on about 100 people
through the new service. It also asks informants to indicate why they are
reporting someone and offers preset options.
Amnesty said the preset options, such as “causing anxiety” or “causing a
nuisance to the neighborhood,” are unrelated to the offense of staying in
Japan illegally and will “fan aversion and anxiety” toward non-Japanese.
Once a report is submitted to the Web site, it is automatically sent to
regional immigration bureaus.
Japanese law enforcement authorities are cracking down on foreigners who
overstay their visas. In particular, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government wants
to halve the number of its illegal aliens in the next five years.
For 2002, the bureau said it received tips on 75,000 people by phone or
mail, as well as e-mail forwarded to the ministry.
ENDS
///////////////////////////////////////////////
WHAT’S ON THE SNITCH SITE?
Even these newspaper articles don’t capture the essence fully. Go to
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/
Look for “jouhou uketsuke” at the bottom.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/cgi-bin/datainput.cgi
You will have to specify what type of foreigner(s) you will be reporting on
the submission form before the preset options open themselves up.
Preset reasons for reporting a foreigner are:
------------------------------------
1) “I can’t let violators get away with it” (ihansha ga yurusenai)
2) Neighborhood disturbances (kinjo meiwaku)
3) Repugnance and anxiety (ken’o fuan)
4) “I am an interested party” (rigai kankei)
5) Police haven’t dealt with it (keisatsu futaiou)
6) I have suffered damages (higai o uketa)
7) “Sympathy or compassion” (doujou)
8) I can’t let the employer or business get away with it.
(koyou nushi (kigyou) ga yurusenai)
9) I can’t let a job broker get away with it.
(buro-ka- ga yurusenai)
10) I was fired because of a violator.
(ihansha no tame ni kaikou sareta)
11) I was not able to get employment because of a violator.
(ihansha no tame ni kyuushoku sarenakatta)
12) Something else (sono ta)
13) Unclear (fumei)
------------------------------------
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to think up clear avenues for abuse here.
Grounds can be, “I don’t like the look of the guy” (item 3) or even “I feel
sorry for the guy” (item 7), “The queues at the unemployment office are too
long” (item 11), to absolutely nothing at all (item 13).
And the site does not require any responsibility from the submitter. They
are not even required to give a real name (site says a pseudonym is fine), a
real address (just Tokyo is fine), or a certifiable email address. Which
means anyone can rat on anyone with impunity.
Also, as my friend Kirk also pointed out, there is no clear definition of
terms, or guidelines for submission:
“It is as though people are being deputized with only the vaguest notion of
what to look for or what to report. The bad foreigners (the ones you are
supposed to report) are referred to as “ihansha” (violators) but the only
indication of what might constitute a violation are the words “fuho
taizaisha” (illegal alien). Novices should as least have some brief
explantion about what to report and especially what NOT to report if this is
to be interpreted as anything other than foreigner bashing and general
snitching that can be practiced against foreigners but not against Japanese.
“Look at the use of the word ‘violator’. When you choose a reason to report
someone, you choose between various reasons. One is “can’t forigve
violator[s]” as opposed to “can’t forgive employers[s]” or “can’t forgive
middlemen.” “Violator” refers to foreigners. Yet the employers and
middlemen are also violating the law. Why is “violator” used to refer to
foreigners alone?”
///////////////////////////////////////////////
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? SNITCH ON YOURSELF
This data is too easily corruptable. So what to do about it? I say let’s
corrupt it.
I assume most people who are receiving my mails are legal. So, how about
going to the site and ratting on yourself? See what happens. When you
squeal, go to an internet cafe, remain anonymous (the site says you can),
use a ficticious email address (just type in a hotmail account--no need to
actually sign up), and an incomplete address (say, “Tokyo"--which their site
says is okay).
If the police drop by, find out you’re a false alarm, and ask about who
might have ratted on you, just say that you don’t know--that somebody out
there wants to harass you or something.
Then again, if you don’t want to be hassled by Immigration, you are welcome
to rat on me--a citizen. Put my name Arudou Debito in katakana, or use my
old name Debitto Arudouinkuru, and put down Hokkaido Jouhou Daigaku for a
contact address. Let’s see if their systems are sophisticated enough to
weed out a citizen before the contact stage.
The point is by filling the police’s inboxes with false leads, you show them
how corruptable their submission requirements are. This ill-considered
method of deputizing the country through an irresponsible submission system
deserves more than a chiding. It deserves civil disobedience from the
potential targets. In this case, us filling their inboxes with bogus data.
Doing so will also test the level of sophistication of their systems.
Probably not very, based upon how unsophisticated the submission procedures
are. Which means probably no harm will come to us as snitch or victim (if
you’re worried, again, snitch at an internet cafe).
By showing the potential abuse through example, Immigration will be forced
to think twice next time and fix things even faster this time. They deserve
no less for wasting resources in this way--potentially at the expense of
innocents in our position.
The goal is to let the authorities know that we will not be taking this sort
of treatment lying down. It’s about time they learned that we as immigrant
can be a political force, making a stink whenever there is potential for
abuse of people’s rights. But we will never be taken seriously if we let
stupidities like this slide.
Feel free to buy this logic or don’t. But I look forward to being a test
case for police computers. Again, rat on me. If I get no harassment, good.
If I do, it will show us--and hopefully them--the flaws in their system.
There is value in that, I believe.
As friend Chris put most lightly this morning when hearing about this
campaign:
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Denounce your (gaijin) self to the cops! (or your gaijin spouse, friend, or
TV show host).
Feeling a bit guilty because you pleasured yourself last night?
Pissed at your husband because he made some lame excuse not to wash the
dishes again?
Heard a gaijin on TV using poor pronunciation?
A remedy is at hand! And we don’t mean another evening’s
self-entertainment! Use the police “Denounce a gaijin web site” and have
RETRIBUTION beat a path to your (or his or her) sorry gaijin door! Yes, the
immigration police will investigate all complaints, no matter how bogus!
They have nothing better to do than create web sites!
Don’t delay! Denounce yourself today! Or, if you are feeling lonely even
though you are legal, post your name as a volunteer to be denounced! You
have wanted to piss off the authorities for ages, for all those times you
got stopped riding your wife’s bike, right? This is your BIG CHANCE!
An example of this genre of social disobedience:
http://www.ipodsdirtysecret.com/
Tokyo Alien Eyes
The newsletter edited by F. Takano, the founder of Tokyo
Alien Eyes(TAE), a nonprofit organization for international
students/residents in Japan.?@?@
NOTICES!
PARTICIPANTS WANTED
College student participants in a discussion with Chinese
students graduating from a Japanese language school
An indie film: adolescence and crime from a global perspective
A joint meeting by international student exchange groups and
student councils
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1. TODAY’S ESSAY: TAE SUCCEEDED TO GET RID OF DISCRIMINATORY
NOTICES!
There are incessant “foreigner-bashing” taking place these days.
The Ministry of Justice started encouraging people to inform by
e-mail against foreign who are staying in Japan “illegally”. NGO’s
supporting foreigners are protesting against this. Last year, the
Tokyo Governor Ishihara and the Minister of Justice announced to
reduce the “illegal stay” into half in five years. However, there
is an easier way than the current measure of racial discrimination
(i.e. police’s questioning only foreigners) under the name of
“regulation”: To legalize guest workers, which has been proposed
since the 1980’s.
“Giving the right to stay to all foreigners with expired visas who
register to the authority during a certain period: what is called
“amnesty” in such countries as the U.S. By this measure, most (not
to mention half) of the “illegal stay” will disappear all at once.
The guest workers need not to suffer from being exploited with
extremely low wage due to the lack of their invalid visa, and they
will become able to officially complain about nonpayment, which
will lead to reduce the negative sentiment toward the Japanese.
This will also result in fewer crimes by foreigners. No one would
be disadvantaged, and 250,000 foreigners would be able to enjoy
“heavenly happiness”. Little budget will be needed for this
measure.*
TAE’s research team of foreigners’ human right has recently born
fruit again in such circumstances. One of our readers replied to
the last newsletter and informed us of notices stating “Watch out
for Delinquent Foreigners” at a branch of UFJ Bank in Azabu. At
the same time, we also found notices on all the ATM machines at
the Kojimachi branch of Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank. Our research team
immediately called the banks and the Azabu and Kojimachi police
offices that made the notices. As a result, Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank
removed all of the notices several days later, and UFJ Bank, which
once rejected to reply to our proposal, eventually removed them
voluntarily afterward. The Azabu Police promised to tell the bank
to remove the notices, and the Kojimachi Police, which first said
they saw no problem with the notices, later replies to us, stating,
“The headquarter had decided in 2001 not to use the expression of
“delinquent foreigners” to avoid misunderstanding, but that decision
has not reached to the tail end.” With this achievement, we are
planning to request the headquarter of the metropolitan police that
they, including the “tail ends” use no such expressions that lead
to discrimination against foreigners.
We are worried about the bias against international students and
foreigners in general getting worse. We will continue to try to
abolish discrimination as part of our supporting activities for
foreigners, and your support such as providing information would
be much appreciated.
* Excerpted from an article “?yViewpoint?zA Damn Lie of
“Deteriorated Security due to foreigners” by Eiichiro Ishiyama,
an editorial committeeman of Kyodo Press.
(http://apc.cup.com/index.html?no=12.8.0.0.447.0.0.0.0.0.)
Tel:03-6801-9666 Fax:03-6801-9667 (text by Takano Fumio)
?– This essay is serialized in ViVa! Volunteer Net.
http://www.viva.ne.jp/action/globalopinion/
PARTICIPANTS WANTED FOR A DISCUSSION WITH
CHINESE STUDENTS WHO ARE ABOUT TO GRADUATE
FROM A JAPANESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL?
(Please forward this message freely)
There will be discussion between Chinese students who
are about to graduate from a Japanese language school
and Japanese college students. The Chinese students
are from various parts of China and are in their early
20’s. Japanese participants are welcomed for this
discussion.
Topic: Advantages and disadvantages of Japan from the
viewpoint of Chinese students
Chinese Participants: 10 Chinese students who are to
graduate from a Japanese language school
Date and time: Wed, March 10th from 13:30
Venue: Shibuya (Details should be given later)
Requirement: Japanese undergraduate students
Participants: 10 Japanese (Please RSVP)
Co-hosted by: Non-Profit Organization Tokyo Alien
Eyes (TAE) and OLJ Language Academy
Please contact Kou at
-God, Blair and the Bomb: A tentative search for moral clarity
by Eric A. Smith
LONDON, Mar 7—Well, now it’s official.
Blair has joined Bush in declaring their mutual global campaign a ‘war on
evil’, thus officially designating our bombs holy and the enemy’s evil,
should we have harbored any doubts.
So while we poison civilians with depleted uranium for the “greater good”,
our enemies are using (or were maybe perhaps planning to someday use)
exclusively evil Weapons of mass destruction.
Whoops, wait a minute; since Rumsfeld, Cheney, Reagan and Bush senior
SUPPLIED Hussein with Anthrax, Botulism, Cholera, Bubonic Plague, Gas
Gangrene and nuclear detonators in the first place, were THOSE WMD “holy”
until they arrived in Iraq, at which time they became tools of Satan? And
would that then make Rumsfeld, et al, “Satan’s suppliers”?
This raises other important moral issues, for example, at which point do
these weapons cross the line of sanctity? As soon as the sales receipts are
obtained? As they’re loaded onto our transport planes? After America’s
neocons have been paid?
The import of these answers far outweigh those of the “how many angels can
dance on the head of a pin” or the “if you listen to Stairway to Heaven
backwards does it really say ‘Satan hump me gently’” arguments.
And, hypothetically, if the Pope were to bless our “bunker buster” nukes,
would they become permanently holy? Would they not then be endowed with a
sort of teflon-esque holiness? If these papally-blessed nukes were then
delivered to, oh I don’t know, IRAQ, would they not then RETAIN their holy
essence? And would that holiness be violated if they were sold to a
Saddam-like dictator instead of merely detonated upon the heathen heads of
the enemy’s civilians?
God—and now perhaps Blair and Bush—only knows.
References:
Senator Robert C. Byrd —Senate Remarks: “Providing a Cookbook for Iraqi
Biological Weapons”—September 26, 2002
http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_issues/byrd_iraqi_bioweapons/byrd_sept262002/byr
d_sept262002.html
Wikipedia—the free internet Encyclopedia—entry “Halliburton”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halliburton
Global Policy Forum:
“Pentagon Iraq Contractor Has History Of Supporting Terrorist Regimes”
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/after/2003/0416pentagoncontr
act.htm
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/after/2003/0416pentagoncontr
act.htm
Eric A. Smith
Hot Damn! Design
81-03-3959-5371
