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Asia Peace Alliance formed
ASAP Statement - September 6, 2003
Max Lane, Manila - On September 1, an assembly of over one hundred activists, including more than fifty representing organizations from around Asia, founded the Asian Peace Alliance (APA). Most of those present were representatives from various peace movement action committees or from various advocacy or research organizations.
The assembly was called by several organizations as a response to the US so-called "war on terror" and the increased US military presence and activity in the Asian region, including the war in Afghanistan.
The Assembly called for a coordinated region wide protest action on October 6-7, the anniversary of the start of the US bombing on Afghanistan. The Assembly also called for immediate coordinated protest actions if the US launched any action against Iraq.
APA adopted a founding declaration that identified different aspects of the US drive to war. It pointed to the US effort to gain access to the oil resources in Central Asia. It alsopiinted out that the war drive was also related to the drive for corporate globalization. "Designed to create a hospitable climate for transnational corporations via liberalization, deregulation, and privatization, these structural adjustment programs increased poverty, widened inequality, consolidated economic stagnation and worsened ecological degradation. Fundamentalist and terrorist movements have, in many cases, stemmed from the widespread anger at the erosion of living standards and social justices triggered by these programs. Like Dr Frankenstein, the US is now moving against the very monsters that its economic programs have created, and conveniently enough, Washington and its allied governments are using the campaign against terror to … also crush the just and legitimate struggles to overturn these structural adjustment programs waged by farmers, workers, urban and rural poor, women, human rights organizations, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized peoples".
The Assembly also combined with local movement activists to hold a rally outside the U.S. Embassy protesting US aggression in the region and US intervention in local political conflicts.
There was a wide geographical attendance with activists from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The largest contingents came from India and Japan and the host country, the Philippines. More than 40 organisations, both advocacy groups as well as mass organisations, were represented from the Philippines. Australian representation comprised Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) as well as Ghassan Hage and Carolinde Akorso from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sydney.
Regional research institutions such as Focus on Global South and ARENA also participated.
A Steering Committee was elected by the Assembly to coordinate the holding of future APA activities. The Assembly also agreed to hold a Peace and Security Conference in conjunction with the Asian Social Forum being held in Hyderbrad, India in January, 2003.