Tony Henderson

Friends of the Humanist Movement and Silo’s message took a bus from Argentina’s Buenos Aires to Jujuy to accompany the Tupac Amaru in their celebrations of Inti Raymi. They joined together to absorb the force and energy of the winter solstice solar rays, of Tata Inti – Father Sun, while giving thanks for all the good that had happened while discarding all the bad.

Almost half a million people were on the streets in protest July 1, 2012, marking the day this territory was handed back to Chinese sovereignly by the British 15 years ago. It’s not that people are displeased at that changeover, it’s what ‘one does’ these days to show the power-holders that everything is not quite in order, with the insistent demand, let’s get it right!

Protesters marched Sunday 10 June (2012) as the first official account of labour activist Li Wangyang’s suspicious hospital death arrived in the territory accompanied by news of statements of local authorities claiming that relatives requested cremation. The spontaneity of the protest march took many locals by surprise and surely much more so the authorities!

Statement issued by People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) May 16, 2012 was an urgent clarification that the peaceful organisation was not party to any bomb threat but sees that allegation as a ploy by the local authorities to stifle further sit-ins and civil disobedience. There were reports in the media that KKNPP received three letters threatening bomb attacks.

The declarations of ‘no fishing’ in the seas around the disputed rocks off the coast of the Philippines by first China, then the Philippines, has wider ramifications and the David and Goliath scenario needs careful judgement, especially by ‘David’! The big picture includes the USA’s strategic encirclement of China. Beware Philippines.

While Japan is to nationalize Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the Indian central government is paying off Tamil Nadu State big-wigs for co-operation to reopen Kudankulam nuclear plant. In Europe the 15M movement is gathering forces while the Greek citizenry rethink the bailout. Such undercurrents indicate a groundswell of hitherto unrecognised forces at work – the human factor!

The indefinite hunger strike has been going on since May 1 against the Koodankulam nuclear power project (KKNPP). By May 5, 25 men had been on the fast since May 1 and 302 women and 10 more men joined the strike on May 4. More and more women are eager to join the indefinite hunger strike but the organisers are not able to accommodate them.

The Annual General Meeting of Abolition 2000 Global Network for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons unanimously adopted a statement: “Welcoming the Shut-Down of All of Japan’s Nuclear Reactors. The news that the last of country’s 54 nuclear reactors went offline for maintenance also sparked celebrations among Japan’s anti-nuclear protesters.

Humanists everywhere across the Earth celebrated yet another anniversary of the emergence of the Humanist Movement, launched on May 4, 1969, with public presentations and in particular that by its founder, Silo, a harangue known as “The Healing of Suffering”. This was given in the Andes, in Punta de Vacas, near the border between Argentina and Chile. A declaration follws:

The Kansai-Bangladesh Project (KBP) works to create sustainable programmes with local people in Bangladesh. It is run by Sachiko Matsunaga-Jack with the support of David Jack, who has a similar organisation,Fieldwork. The couple have been active in Bangladesh for many years now and have concentrated on indigenous groups support and encouragement, plus environmental affairs.