Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 16. 12th July 1973

National Antiwar Coalition Formed — Plans to Set up Antiwar Activities

National Antiwar Coalition Formed

Plans to Set up Antiwar Activities.

In Hamilton, June 16, a meeting was held of representatives from antiwar bodies which support the Out Now perspective for the antiwar movement. The meeting was unanimous in passing a number of proposals aimed at stepping up activities in the coming period. These proposals have since been endorsed by the Auckland. Christchurch, and Wellington Mobilisation Committees, the leading Out Now coalitions in NZ.

This meeting was prompted by the fact that despite the Vietnam Peace Agreement, signed almost Six months ago, the war in Indochina has not ended. The US continues to bomb Cambodia; fighting rages throughout South Vietnam as the Thieu regime attempts to 'nibble' at the areas controlled by the liberation forces; the US remains in South Vietnam through thousands of 'diplomatic staff and 'civilian advisers'; and hundreds of thousands of political prisoners remain in Thieu's jails. Furthermore, the US is still pouring millions of dollars worth of 'aid' into the corrupt dictatorships in Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam.

Despite the withdrawal of NZ troops from Vietnam, the NZ Government is still complicit in the war of aggression against the Indochinese people. NZ remains in the aggressive military alliances of SEATO and ANZUS; it continues to recognise the Thieu regime as the 'legitimate' government of South Vietnam; and it still has military interests in S.E. Asia.

In short, the tasks of the antiwar movement are far from over. The decisions coming out of the Hamilton meeting include:
1) To organise a national speaking tour by Ron Eckrich, US Vietnam Veteran. This tour will start in Auckland on July 12, and during his stay in this region he will be one of the speakers at the Auckland Indochina Day Teach-in, July 14.
2) To organise nation-wide pickets for Friday evening, July 27. National publicity, which is already out for these actions, demands 'Stop Bombing Cambodia'. 'End Support of the Thieu Regime', 'NZ out of SEATO and ANZUS', Release All Political Prisoners in South Vietnam', and 'US and NZ out of S.E. Asia Now'.
The meeting also adopted the principle of national co-ordination of the above activities, and the formation of a national co-ordinating body to initiate future actions and educational activities. This national body has been named the National Mobilisation Committee for Out of South East Asia Now. Its central aims are:
1) US Out of S.E. Asia Now.
2) NZ Withdrawal of Support for the War. NZ Withdrawal of support for the Thieu Dictatorship. NZ Withdrawal from Seato and ANZUS Self-determination for the Indochinese people.
3) Maximum unity in action of all forces in the NZ antiwar movement.

This newly formed National Mobilisation Committee represents an attempt to bring all the organized Out Now forces in the antiwar movement into one national coalition. With the current down turn in the movement on an international scale, along with the immense tasks which the movement still has the duty to carry out, such a coalition is as necessary now as ever before.

However, this body is not projected as an 'umbrella' organisation, representing all sections of the antiwar movement. It is an attempt to organise just one section of the movement (though a significant one), and is based on an open recognition of the deep differences which exist among the antiwar forces in NZ and on an international scale. At present these differences lend to revolve around the question Which demand for the antiwar movement — Out Now or Implement the Peace Agreement?' Salient has already carried some articles this year which reflect this debate.

The National Mobilisation Committee's attitude towards these differences was summed up in one of the reports adopted by Ihe Hamilton meeting: "....an open, non-factional recognition of these differences will in fact do more towards producing unity in action of all the antiwar foces in NZ than a blind pretence that there are not different analyses and strategies. Despite differences, the strategies of all the antiwar forces overlap on a whole range of questions. And here we must openly work towards the maximum possible co-operation and unity in action."

In its coming activities, the National Mobilisation Committee plans to follow the general guidelines established in that report.

Peter Rotherham,

Coordinator, Wellington Mobilisation Committee