Dear NvT,
"It's not enough to sign a paper. I'm a very practical person. Beautiful
words are important but... the real issue is how to translate vision into
reality." With that honest perspective in mind, on the difficulties of
bringing peace to life after so many years of war, Yitzhak Rabin shook hands
with Yasser Arafat to signify the beginning of the end of another one of the
world's conflicts.

Since the last update from the Coalition for Peace and Reconciliation (CPR),
Cambodians have been about that process of bringing 'vision into reality'. 
Today Cambodia is once again a kingdom, now with a newly approved liberal
democratic constitution.  Norodom Sihanouk is once again king.  Unlike kings
of earlier ages whose power came "from the gods" this royalty is one, as his
majesty says, whose powers are popular as "the people of my country are the
real king." Indeed the people for whom the vision awaits its time.

On October 2nd, the Venerable Maha Ghosananda Center for Active Nonviolence
(based at Wat Sampeou Meas near Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh) celebrated the
124th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi with a workshop on the
philosophy Gandhi so lived, so embodied. At a peace prayer meeting earlier in
the day, the Indian Ambassador to Cambodia spoke of the need for the
Cambodian Peace Accords, signed two years ago this month in Paris, to be
nurtured and not endangered through violence.
Bob Maat
Coalition For Peace & Reconciliation
Phnom Penh, Cambodia


Dear NvT
On behalf of the Network Facilitation Collective, I want to thank and
congratulate those people involved in the regular phone link-ups (PLUs).  As
someone who has NOT been involved in the link-ups directly, it is still
obvious to me that these PLUs are playing an important role in the
development of the Australian Nonviolence Network.

From the briefings that I have received, it is evident that the PLUs are now
providing one important means by which people in the network can regularly
and meaningfully communicate with each other.  They are also becoming more
representative (as contacts in new areas are found) and effective (as
facilitation skills are developed, as participants refine the nature of their
involvement and as the type of content which is suitable for discussion using
this medium is learned).

On behalf of the Facilitation Collective, I would particularly like to thank
and congratulate Jan McNicol for organising these link-ups and for
undertaking much of the facilitation. You are an inspiration Jan!
Robert Burrowes


Dear NvT,
This is a letter to religious, social justice, peace and environmental
organisations and publications of all kinds around Australia.

We too are an organisation trying to help bring about a more just and moral
world.  Our inspiration is the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, whose
twin guiding lights were truth and nonviolence.  We are small and relatively
new, but are striving to take some meaningful steps that will help us in our
mission.

One of these steps is a project to begin a campaign in Australia to challenge
and confront the attitudes and behaviour that is leading to ever more
violence in our society.  The Campaign Against Violence would be a major
education and reform campaign undertaken jointly by ourselves and its
members, who would be individuals, families, organisations or any grouping.

A minimum of 1200 members are needed to make the envisaged campaign viable. 
If you are possibly interested in becoming a member and would like to receive
more information, please write to this address: Campaign Against Violence
Project, PO Box 52, Numurkah, VIC 3636, enclosing a stamped, self-addressed
envelope.
Stephen Murphy,
Coordinator,
Campaign Against Violence Project
International Gandhian Movement