International

Unfair competition, exploitation of foreign workers, and dangerous situations on the road, these are just a selection from the stories included in survey forms on the future of the transport sector completed by some 3000 Dutch truck drivers. ‘In recent years I’ve heard a great deal about the problems faced by truck drivers,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, ‘but the outcome of this enquiry is nevertheless shocking. Six out of ten do not believe they will be able to continue to drive trucks for a living, given the problems in the sector.’

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has expressed disappointment at the reactions which he has encountered in China in response to his concerns about the position of minorities there. ‘Reports from human rights organisations have shown time and again the serious abuses of rights, including those of the Tibetan and Uighur communities,’ says Van Bommel. ‘Political bigwigs in China tell me, however, that there’s nothing in these reports and that everything is going extraordinarily well. These reactions show clearly that when it comes to respect for the human rights of minorities in China there’s still a long way to go.’