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Press Release
For immediate Release
Seoul, 08 November 2010
 

Ahead of the G20 Summit
Civil society not welcomed in G20 Seoul
 

International civil society organisations, members of Our World is not for Sale, trade unions and the international peasant movement La Via Campesina condemn the deportation by the Korean government of seven activists from the Philippines who had been granted visas. Furthermore, other progressive activists from Asian and African countries were unjustifiably denied visas.
The list of individuals, mostly civil society leaders from developing countries, prohibited from entry, was based not on concrete evidence of actual threat or histories of dangerous acts, but instead on the goal of preventing their participation in civil society events critical of the G20, particularly the International Conference organized by Put People First!-Korean People's G20 Response Action.
Member of Parliament from Malaysia, Charles Santiago, expressed “While activists, critical to the G20 and neoliberal economic policies have encountered an antagonistic reception by the Korean government, 100 global business executives, gathering for the G20 Business Summit, will be welcomed with a red carpet.”
Deported labour representative from the Philippines Josua Mata added “Nothing demonstrates better the true nature of the G20 than the fact that while it is detaining and deporting activists from the global south, it is busy preparing to have an intimate dialogue with the world’s top corporate leaders. This only confirms what we have been saying all along – the G20 is undemocratic and not interested in improving ordinary people’s lives.”
“The G20 which is a non-elected and non-representative body and excludes majority of developing and poor countries has no legitimacy to be deciding on the economic and political directions of the world.” declared Yoon Geum Soon, representative of the international movement of small farmers La Vía Campesina.
Tyotyo James from the Confederation of South Africa Trade Unions (COSATU) concluded “Since 2008, the G20 has been nothing but a talk show and has failed to deliver any coordinated response to the economic and financial crisis. The future of global economic governance should be discussed, instead, at the United Nations”.

More information:
Mr. Lee Changgeun : +82 (0) 10 94 43 92 34
Tom Kucharz +82 (0) 10 86 59 13 49
Karen Lang +82 (0) 68 84 20 92
E-mail : peoplesg20action.Seoul@gmail.com
Website : http://www.putpeoplefirst.kr

Related article:

☞ Groups demand activists’ entry (K. Herald, 11.8)

*****

After yesterday's KCTU mass rally (some impressions you can see here!) JoongAng Ilbo came to the surprising(!!) conclusion that the S. Korean working class is "Not happy with G-20"...
   But while the NYT reported that "Tens of thousands of protesters held a peaceful, almost festive, rally...", the riot cops (acting in behalf of the ruling class) weren't in a festive and peaceful mood...

...they just wanted to give a foretaste of what is to come in the next days!!

 
Related articles: 

☞ Protesters Rally in Seoul Ahead of G-20 Summit (NYT, 11.7)
☞ Tens of Thousands Protest G-20 Summit in Seoul (VOA, 11.7)