News in brief

In early April the autonomous peace village of Daechuri in South Korea was brutally attacked by thousands of riot police and private contractors.

Protest against the presence of the US military in the region have taken place for many years: the village of Daechuri declared its autonomy in February in response to threats of displacement as the local US base at Anjungri plans a further expansion. In recent months thousands of people have participated in protests against this - and the 95 other US bases in South Korea. April's “invasion” by the police resulted in 40 arrests, many injuries and the deliberate destruction of the community's irrigation system.

At Easter, around 100 protesters visited the Lake Cowal Gold Project inNew South Wales, Australia, in protest at the environmental damage caused by cyanide used in the mining process, and in support of the claim of the Wiradjuri Nation, on whose traditional lands the mine resides. Work was reportedly halted for five hours and there were eight arrests. One of the arrestees called the mine a “desecration of the Wiradjuri Sacred heartland and an environmental disaster”. This is just one of many struggles against the exploitation of traditional lands in Australia and around the world.

Peace News contributor John La Forge (Nukewatch US) and 28 others have begun sentences of between one and six months in US Federal prisons.

This follows their conviction for “crossing the line” during a demonstration against the School of the Americas (WHISC) in November 2005. John and the others would welcome your letters and support. Write to him (include the number!):

• John LaForge: 03213-090, FCI Duluth, PO Box 1000, Duluth, MN 55814, USA
• Details for all the other prisoners can be found at: “>http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=1247.
• Read John's article, Acting Against Torture, at PN online.