On September 21, 1997, €"Solidarity Against the World Bank/IMF' launched a demonstration. After the demonstration ended, five demonstrators were unreasonably arrested, and one of them was assaulted. The police have now officially laid charges against the five, including the charge of distributing public order and attacking the police. The truth is that the police abused their power and the demonstrators were violently treated. However, the police have trumped up charges against the five. That is the performance of the SAR under Tung Chee-wah's leadership who has repeatedly boasted that nothing has got worse after the handover.

The brutality of the police and their trumped charges is by no means accidental. The SAR is a government for the rich, by the rich and the rich. It is a government which rejects any reform that may be favourable to working people. Indeed, the so-called successful experience' of Hong Kong, which the World Bank/IMF has been glorifying and holding up as an example to the world, in essence is only the reinforcing of regressive state machinery on the one hand and cutting government expenditure on social welfare and services on the other. Recently, the IMF advised, the SAR to cut its responsibility to provide public housing. Judging from the hous

ing policy of the SAR, it is obvious that the government is following the IMF's advice. The September 21, incident reflects the truth of the SAR's class position -it appeases the global capitalist class as represented by the World Bank/IMF on the one hand and deals blow after blow to working people on the other

Therefore we appeal to you to be in solidarity with the five, to oppose the trumped up charges, and link the solidarity movement with the campaign to fight the neo-liberai policy of IMF/World Bank.

Both Hong Kong Women Workers Association and Humanika Working Group in Surabaya, Indonesia have published the translated version of "As Women As Workers" in Chinese i.e. Mandarin and Bahasa Indo-, nesia / Malaysia, respectively! For those who are interested, you can order your copy from CAW office!

Price: USD$20 include. Postage within Asia (air mail)

USD$25 outside Asia (surface mail) or USD$30 outside Asia (airmail)

The above mentioned Cartoon book will be distributed via CAW's network in Taiwan, China as well as Hong Kong for the Chinese version. And for the Indonesia/Malaysia version, in those 2 countries respectively. Soon, the Tagalog version (Philippines) will also be available so watch out!

By now, this very popular book has already been translated into the following languages: Urdu (Pakistan), Thai, Nepali, Korean etc.

CAW will also be publishing soon, its Trainers Training Resource Book series in mid-1998 for Women Workers and Women Organizers in the Region. So look out for announcement in the AWWN!

We also expect the Video of CAW on "Impact of Global Restructuring on Women Workers in Asia - covering 3 countries; Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand as case studies" to be launched within 1998 too.