News from Wales

James Maiden Welsh Centre for International Affairs/Canolfan Materion Rhyngwladol Cymru

Protest against detention of asylum seekers
On 11 August a protest organised by the Cardiff Social Forum was held outside Cardiff prison to persuade the Home Office to rehouse nine asylum seekers who have been held for the past three weeks.

The nine men were transferred there from a detention centre near Heathrow. Politicians and human rights groups are angry that the men are being held in jail as they are not criminals. Around 200 demonstrators created an hour of noise outside the prison to show support for the asylum seekers.

Plaid Cymru's social justice spokesperson Leanne Wood AM, who has written to the minister urging the asylum seekers' immediate release, said: "We want to send a clear message to the Home Office that housing asylum seekers in prison is not acceptable, as they're not criminals. Amnesty International Wales and Cytûn are among the organisations working to help the asylum seekers who attended the demonstration.

Campaigners use European laws to fight radioactive emissions
Community Concern in Cardiff has been campaigning against emissions of radioactive tritium from an Amersham Plc industrial plant on the outskirts of Wales's capital city.

Representatives of Community Concern in Brussels, April 2004 (l-r: Max Wallis, Plaid Cymru MEP Eurig Wyn, Clare Sain-ley-Berry, Alan Rosser) © Community Concern

The Public Health Authority and Welsh Assembly government have refused calls for further research, so earlier this year the group presented a petition about the Amersham plant to the European Parliament.

Community Concern has been assisted at the European level by Conservative, Labour, and Plaid Cymru MEPs, who recently secured a European Parliament agreement for the Scientific Technology Options Assessment (STOA) programme to assess the broader tritium and health issue. The European Commission has now also agreed to a full environmental impact assessment and a study on tritium levels in food.

For more information see:www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Environment&F=1&id=6899 and
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/page.cfm?objectid=14464638&method=full&siteid=50082. For more information about Community Concern: wallismk@cf.ac.uk.

Cardiff MAS Carnival
On 24 July, South Wales Intercultural Community Arts (SWICA) brought Cardiff alive with the sixteenth annual multicultural MAS Carnival,

featuring hundreds of costumed revellers in a celebration of Mother Earth, raising awareness of environmental issues and promoting sustainability. One of Waless biggest and brightest carnival parades featured hundreds of flamboyant costumes and creations, masks and headpieces, giant puppets on backpacks and mobile sculptures taking to the streets along with a crescendo of samba drumming, melodious steelpan and hi-energy streetdance.

DfID to attend launch of Welsh poverty campaign
2005 will be a crucial year for international development, with unique opportunities for mobilising on an unprecedented scale to Make Poverty History. Following the success of the Jubilee 2000 Cymru campaign, members of the Welsh international sector will be helping to ensure that, when the UK holds the G8 presidency, it fulfils its intention to be a presidency for development. At a meeting on 23 September attended by Minister of State Gareth Thomas, Welsh development organisations will launch their joint campaign.

The minister will also outline how the UK government is supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals the set of minimum standards across all fields of human development including health, education and sustainability that the international community is committed to achieving by 2015.
The meeting will take place at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay, Thursday 23 September from 12.15 pm to 2.00 pm and will include a complementary lunch. If you would like to attend, please email: jamesmaiden@wcia.org.uk.

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OneWorld UKs News from Wales is edited by James Maiden at the Welsh Centre for International Affairs/Canolfan Gymreig Materion Rhyngwladol, Cardiff, tel. 029 2082 1058, jamesmaiden@wcia.org.uk.