mternationalstudentnews As a regular feature, starting this issue, readers can anticipate articles written about students’ realities in the third world and international political campaigns. At ECCAD, the Student Union is creating a Social Issues Action Commitee, made up of interested people who are looking to learn more about ecological crisies, social issues,human rights... It's an opportunity to watch videos made by documentary videographers and filmmakers, hear speakers and work together putting up posters and empowering each other. So check this out by leaving your name in Irwin Oostindie's box. Death of the new generation By Terry Cottam and Irwin Oostindie Students in the military state of Burma have called for an international boycott of PepsiCo. The All-Burma Students Democratic Front have asked students around the world to stop buying such Pepsi-owned products as 7-Up, Hires, Honeydew, Crush, Hostess, Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The boycott targets Pepsi because it has opened a bottling plant in the south asian country which currently resembles a massive concentra- tion camp. The ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council, otherwise known as SLORC, is one of the world's most brutal and destructive regimes. For a face-saving measure it has at- tempted to change the former British colonies’ name from Burma to Myanmar. Another boycott campaign has just recently ended in victory for human rights groups. A Boycott Petro Canada campaign resulted in the decision by the oil company to divest from Burma, after pumping in $41 million. The same organizations which beat this Canadian crown corporation in November, are supporting the Pepsi campaign: CYNAPS (Canadian Youth Network for Asia Pacific Solidarity), Friends of the Rain- forest, and OPIRG - Carleton. These groups charge that PepsiCo's presence is being used by the SLORC to legitimize its rule. After 30 years of repression, the Burmese now see America as symbolizing the democratic values they so desperately seek. Pepsi's very presence is being used as a propaganda tool. The SLORC controls all major business, and has silenced all political opposition, jailing elected Members of Parliament who won a landslide victory of 82% in 1990, and holding under house arrest democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. In the only elections held, the military won only 2% of the total vote. Since then, the regime has launched a reign of terror against students, professionals, and ethnic minorities. Burma's military continues to wage a 45 year old war against the ethnic people living within the border regions. It continues to destroy, getting its hard currency from: ¢ abetting the heroine trade; the US State Department reports 60% of the world's heroin trade comes from Burma. ¢ since 1989, economic activity by foreign investors, principally oil companies. ¢ resource plunder: Burma suffers the world's third fastest rate of deforestation. Formed in 1991, Pepsi-Cola Products Myanmar expects to fill 400,000 bottles a day ata plant 22 kilometres from the capital of Rangoon, according to Asian Business. PepsiCo's South-East Asia Deputy President, Gary Shea, says "there's a lot of money floating around, and there's not much to spend it on in a country like Burma." This is a country with extreme few consumer products, forced labour, genocide of ethnic groups, and an authoritarian military state. For more information please contact CYNAPS at 255-2787 for Boycott Pepsi campaign materials. Repression of students Heroin addiction is apparently being promoted by the SLORC regime to provide an escape from oppression and to divert students from the struggle against military rule. In 1988, one year before the interna- tional press’ popular Tiananmen Square massacre of several hundred students, more than 3,000 students were massacred in the pro-democracy rallies in the streets of Rangoon. All schools were then closed, while ten thousand students fled into the jungle and formed a student army: the All-Burma Students Democratic Front. After four years of being closed, schools have recently been opened - but only after sending 2,000 teachers to a "month's refresher course in techniques of student management and control". surviving by resisting consumerism By Irwin Oostindie Students around the world play a determining factor in changing societies. That's a fact. Dominated by military leaders, subservient parliamentarians, and heads of corporations, the world is enteringa period of massive ecological collapse, and the systematic genocide of self-sufficient peoples - as they are rapidly consumed by global capitalism. If these words frighten you... turn the page. ECCAD students often complain about how insulting "politically- correctness" is, how they're "sick of having to be p.c." Sounds reactionary. Important to go beyond the term and learn what it represents. This is a time when students are disenfranchised with the type-cast "left", as the trade unions have tured into self- fulfilling agents of the middle class. I suggest curious minds look beyond the apparent political landscape and seek out true alterna- tives being pushed forward by young radical minds of the nine- ties. Rather than tune off to Starbucks and Madonna, tune in to the spirit of young people resisting authority, both here and in the third world. For students there, it would be a luxury to feel frustrated about politically correctness. But for us Canadians, while we struggle to decide on the 10,000 various products in an average supermar- ket, and our 25 different movie options, we become numbed by a consumer culture which would rather have us loath anti-racism, sexism, and queer rights. So bend down and look at the tongue of your shoes, the label of your t-shirt, or the manufacturer of your favourite products; quite likely that you've bought something from a sweat shop in China, industrial plant in south Korea, or plantation in the Philippines. As consumers in Canada, we are involved in exploiting the third world. And our few foreign aid monies go to military governments maintaining them in power, (eg.: providing aerial reconnaisance data in Indonesia or C.I.D.A. funding para-military death squads in the Philippines). Political correctness is something progressive communities have arisen to, through the past few decades, as the foundations of our industrialised society corrode. However, the millions of young people our age in the third world are too busy in their daily struggles to discuss the impact of recent social movements such as the "sixties", women's movement, liberation of lesbians and gays and bisexuals, and anti-racism. In north america, the devel- opment of radical communities and supportive ideologies which nurture respect for each other - while struggling against the repressive systems around us, are new things. They are a threat to the state and its institutions. So a heavy reaction from the ideo- logically-dominating right-wing forces in our society ensues. We can observe this with the backlash on feminism, and the attempt to restrict the rights of lesbian and gays, and the murder of people of colour by police forces in Canadian cities. A real sense of support and respect is possible within political communities. And the nineties will be about coalitions against the repressive system. Contradictions abound in our work for social change, but let us not lose sight of the fascistic minds of the older white men who are dragging our society downhill. There are plenty of targets: Preston Manning and his Reform Party bigots and the Conservative Party's pronouncement of our allegiance to the U.S.’ military game-plan; the N.D.P.'s increase in the destruc- tion of the rainforests of Vancouver Island, or the federalist Liberal policies of business as usual for the middle-class. Coalitions are needed to unite against racists, against the N.A.F.T.A., against homophobes who want Persons With A.I.D.S. quarantined, and against the parliamentary system in the next federal election... Remember if voting changed anything it would be made illegal. By working together we can identify with a spirit of resistance. Today an important source for inspiration is other student move- ments in other countries, and until the day comes when Canadians will take it to the streets, we have to learn to work together and resist. internationalstudentnews As a regular feature, starting this issue, readers can anticipate articles written about students’ realities in the third world and international political campaigns. At ECCAD, the Student Union is creating a Social Issues Action Commitee, made up of interested people who are looking to learn more about ecological crisies, social issues,human rights. It's an opportunity to watch videos made by documentary videographers and filmmakers, h 1 speakers and work together putting up posters and empowering each other. So check this out by leaving your name in Irwin Oostindie's box. Death of the | new generation By Terry Cottam and Irwin Oostindie ‘Students in the military state of Burma have called for an international boycott of PepsiCo. The All-Burma Students Democratic Front have asked students around the world t0 stop buying such Pepsi-owned products as 7-Up, Hires, Honeydew, Crush, Hostes, Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. ‘The boycott targets Pepsi because it has opened a boiling plant in the south asian country which curently resembles a massive concentra- tion camp. The ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council, otherwise known as SLORC, 4s one of the world's most brtal and destructive regimes. Fora face-saving measure it has at- tempted to change the former British colonies’ ‘name from Burma to Myanmar. ‘Another boycott campaign has just recently ended in victory for human rights groups. A Boycott Petro Canada campaign resulted in the decision by the cil company to divest from ‘Burma, after pumping in $41 milion The same ‘organizations which beat this Canadian crown corporation in November, are supporting the Pepsi ‘campaign: CYNAPS (Canadian Youth Network for Asia Pacific Solidarity), Friends of the Rain- forest, and OPIRG - Carleton. These groups ‘charge that PepsiCo’s presence is being used by the SLORC to legitimize its rule. ‘After 30 years of repression, the Burmese now see America as symbolizing the democratic values they so desperately sek. Pepsis very presence is being used as a propaganda tol ‘The SLORC controls all major business, and has silenced all politcal opposition, jailing elected Members of Parliament who won a landslide victory of 82% in 1990, and holding under house arrest democratic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. In the only elections held, the military won only 2% | of the total vote Since then, the regime has launched a reign BOYCOTT Of terror against students, professionals, and ethnic ‘minorities. Burma's military continues to wage a45 year old war against the ethnic people living within the border regions. It continues to destroy, getting its hard currency from: ‘abetting the heroine trade; the US State Department | reports 60% of the world's heroin trade comes from | Burma. + since 1989, economic activity by foreign investors, principally oil companies. + resource plunder: Burma suffers the world's third fastest rate of deforestation. Formed in 1991, Pepsi-Cola Products| Myanmar expects to fill 400,000 bottles a day at a plant 22 kilometres from the capital of Rangoon, according to Asian Business. PepsiCo's South-East ‘Asia Deputy President, Gary Shea, says "there's a lot ‘of money floating around, and there's not much to spend iton in a country like Burma.” ‘This isa country with extreme few consumer products, forced labour, genocide of ethnic groups, ‘and an authoritarian military state. ‘For more information please contact CYNAPS| ‘at 255-2787 for Boycott Pepsi campaign materials. Repression of students Heroin addiction is apparently being promoted by the SLORC regime to provide an escape from oppression and to divert students from the struggle against military rule. In 1988, one year before the intena- tional press’ popular Tiananmen Square massacre of several hundred students, more than 3,000 students ‘were massacred in the pro-democracy rallies in the streets of Rangoon. All schools were then closed, ‘while ten thousand students fled into the jungle and formed a student army: the All-Burma Students, Democratic Front. After four years of being closed, schools have recently been opened - but only after sending 2,000 teachers to a "month's refresher course in techniques of student management and control” surviving by resisting consumerism By Irwin Oostindie Students around the world play a determining factor in changing societies. That’ a fact. Dominated by military leaders, subservient parliamentarians, and heads of corporations, the world is enteringa period of massive ecological collapse, and the systematic genocide of self-sufficient peoples - as they are rapidly consumed by global capitalism. If these words frighten you... tum the page. ECCAD students often complain about how insulting "poltically- correctness” is, how they're “sick of having to be p.c." Sounds reactionary. Important to go beyond the term and learn what it represents, This isa time when students are disenfranchised with the type-cast "lef", as the trade unions have tumed into self fulfilling agents ofthe middle cass. I suggest curious minds look beyond the apparent political landscape and seek out true alterna- tives being pushed forward by young radical minds of the nine- ties. Rather than tune off to Starbucks and Madonna, tune in to the spirit of young people resisting authority, both here and in the third world. For students there, it would be a luxury to feel frustrated about politically correctness. But for us Canadians, while we struggle to decide on the 10,000 various products in an average supermar- ket, and our 25 different movie options, we become numbed by a consumer culture which would rather have us loath anti-racism, sexism, and queer rights. So bend down and look atthe tongue of, your shoes, the label of your t-shirt or the manufacturer of your favourite products; quite likely that you've bought something from a sweat shop in China, industrial plant in south Korea, or plantation inthe Philippines. As consumers in Canada, we are involved in exploiting the third world, And our few foreign aid monies go to military govemments maintaining them in power, (eg: providing aerial reconnaisance data in Indonesia or C.LD.A. funding para-military death squads in the Philippines). Political correctness is something progressive communities have arisen to, through the past few decades, as the foundations of our industrialised society corrode. However, the millions of young people our age in the third world are too busy in their daily struggles to discuss the impact of recent social movements such as the "sixties", women's movement, liberation of lesbians and ‘gays and bisexuals, and anti-racism. In north america, the devel- ‘opment of radical communities and supportive ideologies which nurture respect for each other - while struggling against the repressive systems around us, are new things. They ae a threat to the state and its institutions. So a heavy reaction from the ideo- Jogically-dominating right-wing forces in our society ensues. We can observe this withthe backlash on feminism, and the attempt to restrict the rights of lesbian and gays, and the murder of people. of colour by police forces in Canadian cities. ‘Areal sense of support and respect is possible within political ‘communities. And the nineties will be about coalitions against the repressive system. Contradictions abound in our work for social Change, but lt us not lose sight of the fascistic minds of the older White men who are dragging our society downhill. There are plenty of targets: Preston Manning and his Reform Party bigots ‘and the Conservative Party's pronouncement of our allegiance to the U.S.’ military game-plan; the N.D.P.'s increase in the destruc tion of the rainforests of Vancouver Island, orth federalist Liberal policies of business as usual forthe middle-class. Coalitions are needed to unite against racists, against the NA.ET.A, against homophobes who want Persons With ALLDS. quarantined, and against the parliamentary system in the next federal election. Remember if voting changed anything it would be made illegal. By working together we can identify with a spirit of resistance. ‘Today an important source for inspiration is other student move- ‘ments in other countries, and until the day comes when Canadians ‘will take it tothe streets, we have o lear to work together and resist.