India, Bangladesh
protests over Clinton visit
At every turn in
President Bill Clinton's tour of India and Bangladesh, there
were protesters there to challenge him. Only in Pakistan, where
the military government banned all protests, were there no
demonstrations.
Days of student
actions led up to Clinton's March 20 visit to Bangladesh. On
March 14, protesters burned an effigy of Clinton in front of
the U.S. embassy. On the day Clinton arrived, police attacked
the demonstrators, injuring at least 15.
A statement by the
Left Democratic Front declared: "We are organizing this protest
against U.S. policy towards Bangladesh, looting our natural
resources, imposing U.S. control over our land and above all
the conspiracy to entangle Bangladesh with the U.S. military
and war-mongering politics in this region."
Mass protests were
held throughout India starting with his arrival on March 19 in
Kerala. Actions were held in city after city from Dehli to
Calcutta.
The Socialist Unity
Center of India reported that Clinton was confronted with
shouts of "U.S. imperialism, hands off Iraq," "Stop U.S.
intervention in the Indian economy," "Vacate Kosovo and Iraq,"
and "Warmonger Clinton go back."
The SUC reported that
speakers at the rallies condemned "the many U.S. imperialist
attacks on sovereign countries under the leadership of Bill
Clinton leading to death and misery of thousands of innocent
men, women and children." Particularly, the sanctions in Iraq,
Cuba and Yugoslavia; the missile attacks on Iraq; the
bombardment of Yugoslavia; the missile attacks on Afghanistan
and Sudan; the military presence in East Timor; and the
occupation of Haiti.
Another focus of the
protests is the takeover of the assets of the South East Asian
economies by U.S. multinational corporations. Ever since the
economic crisis that swept Asia, U.S. banks and corporations
have "re-colonized" Asia. This was part of the focus of the
protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle last
year and will be a focus of demonstrations against the
International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington on
April 16.
--Gary Wilson
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