Philippines president Gloria Arroyo is in Wellington for a state visit including lunch with Helen Clark, the US and Chinese Ambassadors. The Council for Trade Unions called for a boycott of the lunch and organised a solidarity action to highlight the state sanctioned murder of trade unionists and the continued imprisonment of Crispin Beltran aka Ka Bel, who is regarded as the father of the Philippines labour movement.

Dennis Maga, spokesperson of the Free Ka Bel Movement, appeared here in a cage to illustrate the horrific conditions of many political prisoners. He was charged with inciting dissolution and held for three days when he attempted to visit Ka Bel.

The situation is such that people are literally disappearing. Organised labour is viewed as terrorism; Arroyo is a staunch supporter of Bush's war on terrorism. She has had many trade unionists listed as terrorists on UN lists, seriously impacting their lives and their ability to organise and travel.

Todd Valster, Union Organiser for the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, said of the was held because, 'New Zealand is supposed to a friendly trading nation with the Philippines, but people in my position there would be murdered.'

He went on to say that, 'Arroyo is the worst President in terms of killings and disappearances that we have seen. There have been some 850 murders of political activists during her reign. They need to Free Ka Bel now.'

'The $.6 billion in trade that New Zealand does with the Philippines does not sit well with us when this is going on.'

Most of the trade with the Philippines is dairy and electronics.

Sheryl Hahn from the National Distribution Union, said that they were there to support the people of the Philippines and to demand an end to the killings.

For more information, visit the Philippines Solidary Network of Aotearoa www.converge.org.nz/psna/