THE Joint Trade Union Action Committee. consisting virtually all the major trade unions in Sti Lanka, has called * one day general strike for today, 28 September. This is to protest against the rising cost of iving and the anti-trade union and repressive policies of the povertical:
The UNP government of JR Jayawardene has threatened to corporation employees delegate conference of over WE workers who me On D September voted unanimously GREECE THE Karamanlis government nas- introduced a Bil parliament which would chable the police to harass. imprison gay men at will.
Gay men can be locked up *loitering with aim nicking up other men or for activities lewd and agains nature. Police acting privately received wrilten information can force gay men lo undergo three weeks 'medical treatment and therate Bill was first drafted when the Colonels were still in therapy they had in mind.
ine new v-ormed hiccua tional Gays Alliance (IGA) has organised simultaneous pickets of Greek embassies throughout Europe. Be there at 12 noon on Saturday 30 September: Greek Embassy, la Holland Walk (Notting Hill tube).
BRAZIL NAHUEL Moreno and Rita Strasherg. Argentinian revolutionaries, were released on 19 September Brazilian prison. They been taken HO CUstody month ago while attending a meeting the • Socialist Convergence group There was a real danger that they could have been deported certain death. But after international C3108 enon their behalf tbey have now been allowed to go to Colombia CHINA CHINA's foreign hardly be said to be ta full of surprises. Apart trom Somoza, the Chinese are backing communist dictatorship in the China's policies in Middle East HOW developing friendly links with the гевстовагу states. Ir is still wooing Saudi Arabia, Wahabi fundamentalists remain suspiSCious.
At the same time China is in support of the Shah of Iran's attempts to organise a Gulf security pact. Designed to repel "aggression" (presumably from the USSR) the pact, reality, is designed to crush social revolutions in the area.
A mectine between Hus and King Khalid of Saudi Arabia is currently being arrangod.
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WORKERS POWER The first ISSUIC of Workers Power' revolutionary monthly newspaper is now Articles include the LOVELOCL Ireland, Palestine, the ANL.
Single issues 15p plus ip pap from: BC. Bo 7750. London WCIV EXX Subscriptions f2 for 12 I3UC3 Socialist Challenge 28 Septerber 1978 page 10 and CHRISTOPHER ROPER. After more than 40 yars in power, the Somoza family no longer adequately safeguards region. Far from providing the "stability, which forcign investors require, Somoza is now of perceived as a major cause of instability, The first question to ask is why the Somozas dynastic rule began to crumble in the mid706, after so many untroubled tyranny. De has very little to do WE CHEATY efforts of the Sandinistas, even though the FSLN is providing a powerful pole of attraction for the forces of the opposition.
EARTHQUAKE
over the past ter years has also probably had the effect of galvanning previously supine parties into taking a harder line apainst Somoza. had But none of this would have affected Somoza seriously if It had not been for CATCHERS WORSE BOSE CA the capital city of Managua. This shan effects. In the an Nicaragua's peny bourgeoisie and commercial elite, who had lived in relative comfort under the Somozas. undrcamed of possibilities for Secondly. opened looting and corruption to the can National Guard. Businessmen warched aghast as ail the relief funds were channelled directly into the pockets of the Guard.
COMMERCE The flourishing black market the in food and blankets began te Brake over the commerce of the country.
Arab selling in greater volume than legally imported goods.
Somoza and his
began, slowly Managua on the basis of thei holdings of real estate. Their contracting companies built highways to their new housing estates and shopping centres, It was just like Monopoly -plaved with real money.
can find the origins of 'businessmen's strike'. caught the intagination and EL SAIN ADOR RiST THE line-ap WHEN the Wall Street Journal" came out against General Somoza a fortnight ago, it became clear that the Nicaraguan dictator had more to worry about than the gallant but poorly armed militants of the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional (FSIN), writes sympathy of the Wall Stree Journal.
The National Guard also United States interests in the found new sources of profit in the wat against the Peasants suspected of "sympathising" with the guerrillas were driven off their land, which was Then aggregated into valisable estates.
ROADS ycars of Roads had to be built, with United Stares aid, into the rural mitary vehicles The Sonarad military vehicles. were hated more than ever.
General Anastasic Sonora, the present head of the lamily is not a stupid man. He is wel educared and modern cconomic theon the officials of the world Han the or the United Nations apposition He was making every effort to modernise the rather old family which got is start when the United States marines left his the 1971 father in power in 1934 Somoza has diversified the fumily'sinvestments, especially muitinational tions. He is rumoured. be Nestle, the Swiss haby fost manufacturer, He has purchased control of Visión, a Latin American news magazine. Many Nicaragua are held through Unlike Truillo Dominican Republic or Duvalier in Haiti. dictatorship is not famhoyant.
The family maintained occasionally even handing over the presidency to a tamil contraband tetainer.
But since the carthquake, he las been unable to control the cronies rapacity of the National Guard rebuild and of nembers of the growing Somoza clan. Furthermore, the earthquake national attentioo on Nica10 in CARTER With the arrival of Carter in the White House. which prospects cook a furtber turn for the worse It is always casier THE DIPLOMATIC LINE-UP INDERAS Central America last week Sandinistas battled with the National Guard for control of the cities rural tbe FSLN.
access of CEL discuss TEALS for the largest of the TITTERS in the Somoza's has always profile, and Carter the human rights front.
The Somoza focussed interthat Somoza's numbered suitable Somoza's became more difficult. The vicaraguaremained ANTI-BOMOZA STHIEE PRO-SOMEZA ETATES CRISIS crisis.
quite successfully, VENEZUELA communisin.
the physically overthrown. SANDINISTA guerillus belind makeshift harricude for the United States to thron America than in the Sourbern struggle Cone (Clile, Argentina etc.), was obviously poking for some successes on dictatorship had become publicly indefens communism. The word began to go out from the White House days were overthrown.
Few wears were shed, but when it came down to finding a be things obvious replacement depend was Pedro Chamorro, whose family is as deeply entrenched Somoza's Chamorro ran the opposition newspaper and in normal time likely to be jus within greatest worry. permitted lines of criticism.
But Somoza had Chamorro assassinaled Tast Fehruary, and his precipitated the preseni still a the same Lime, Somoza's public relations men in Washington were busily, and persuading the White House that the only nitentalise to somoza waAt this point the businessmen began to make cominion cause with the Sandinistas, realising tha: Somoza would have to be Canal.
The national chamber of commerce has boon in the forefront of the There have been bizarre episodes such as the arrest of the manager of the local Coca Cola bottling plant as a leader STRUGGLE The decisive strugale will be will takes, the barder it is likely to the Chamber Commerce and its allies restore "the system. Muct will on the leadership provided by the Sandinistas.
Bur once Somoza does fall, it it unlikely the upheaval can be confined to Nicaragua. This is Washingion':
The Imporlance of Centra America for British socialists can be summarised as tollows: •Popular struggles in Central America are closely linked to those a the Caribbesi. Belize Beitish colony, Dualisa a former Brilish dependency, the ated into Nicaragua at the * The region is of strategic importance lo United Stales hegemony in the Americas Nicaragua is the best alterna tive location for an interoceanic Cemral America and the Caribbean countries are natticulty industrialised. bun they do provide off shore plarTOTEL Ior Narth Amencar capita.
These countries" role as tax havens for banks is well known. They also have a less publicised role as hoars to certain capital intensive and often pollaring industries * Although the United States probally never permit another Cuba" in any simple sense, there is no doubt that the example of Cuba is exercising an increasingly powerful in fluence in thie region Ir it no accident that Cuba's closest allics in the whole Western Hemisphere are nearby Jamaica and Panama MODEL There are trends which suggest that the region as a whole could hegin to move in Cuba's wake, model of development which provides at least some escape From the all-too-evident berdevelopment in the United - There is growing evidence that Mexioo has perhaps the Largest oil reserves in the America. comparable ta thos of Saudi Arabia. Mexico's ail fields stretch down into Central America The United States already regards this pil as part of its manifest destiny.
'T ians and their multinational