CIA spying on Australians

"We demand to know who authorised ASIO to betray Australian peace 
activists to foreign secret police", said Denis Doherty, National Co-
ordinator of Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition (AABCC). Mr Doherty 
was outraged by a report in The Australian (18/2/99) which revealed 
that the US military had secretly investigated peace groups and peace 
activists taking part in anti-US bases protests.

The AABCC organised major protests at Pine Gap, Nurrungar and North West 
Cape in the 1980s as part of a peace campaign to rid Australia of US 
nuclear bases.

Over 200 Australians also took part in peace actions in the Philippines to 
protest against the US Clark and Subic Bay military bases.

"The number of Australians supporting the US military facilities on our 
soil fell in this period to under 50 per cent, thanks to our work", said Mr 
Doherty.

"The US Air Force feared their bases in Australia might be closed as a 
result of the effective campaigns being waged against them. They therefore 
began a period of intensive surveillance of the AABCC.

"This is bad enough", commented Denis Doherty, "but it is made worse by the 
news that ASIO gave information to the US secret police on Australians who 
were peacefully exercising their democratic right to protest."

Mr Doherty recalled that in 1989 the then Defence Minister Beazley sent 
troops against 1,000 unarmed and peaceful protesters at Nurrungar.

"We believe the bases should be closed and that there should be a public 
inquiry into the documents uncovered in the US to expose this violation of 
the right to protest and the Australian Government's complicity in it", 
stated Denis Doherty.

The revelations are a timely reminder that there are a number of peace 
issues that remain unresolved.