CINA

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The S.K. daily newspaper The Hankyoreh published before yesterday(5.17) following letter, written and sent by comrade Torna Limbu (president of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrant Trade Union/MTU) from the Cheongju Detention/Deportation Center. Comrade Torna, together with comrade Abdus Sabur was deported last Thursday.

Torna-dongji in Cheongju Deportation Center

My respected Koreans and migrant laborers! I greet you in struggle!

They say if you want to be a great person you need to meet great people, and I have met great people like you. I have been unable to become a great activist, but I did my best.

I came to beautiful Korea to escape poverty. But as discrimination towards, and exploitation of, the weak exist everywhere, I gave all my youth wandering about during my difficult life in Korea hoping to realize my Korean Dream, but at no time was I happy.

Korean society changed as time went by, but the oppression and discrimination towards the weak did not. I was unable to receive proper treatment for injuries to my waist, neck, and disk.

Once, someone made use of my legal status as an “illegal alien” to commit fraud against me, and, instead of getting legal help, I suffered more. I have worked hard for the sake of the migrant union since that time in 2003.

But the biggest crisis for me came when I was fired from my company because of the “employment permit program” that began in August 2004. I had no money and could find no work; the crackdown was intensifying and I had nowhere to go.

I came to think that something was wrong, and I thought migrant workers would have to raise their voices. I followed my seonbae (elders) to a sit-in at Myeongdong Cathedral.

The slogans at the time were “Stop the deportations!” and “Fully legalize undocumented migrant workers!”

During the 386-day sit-in struggle I learned more about Korea, and learned more still from the fine Korean seonbae I met, and their determination to struggle was handed down to me as well. A great many Koreans joined in strong solidarity, giving us much needed strength.

The Korean Ministry of Justice, however, was always out to crush the migrant union and would not let me be. On May 2, 2008, at 8:30 p.m., I fell victim to a targeted arrest operation by more than ten Seoul Immigration Office employees on my way to a candlelight protest against imports of American mad cow beef.

Why does the Korean government want to arrest and deport us? There are some 230,000 undocumented migrant workers in Korea; does it want to deport them all? Are the police and the Ministry of Justice on a joint crackdown operation from May 1 to July 31 because the president ordered it to reduce the number of illegal aliens to zero? (*)

How many of our migrant worker friends are going to be hurt or killed in the course of this crackdown? If undocumented migrant workers have done anything wrong, then their only sin is having come to Korea and worked hard to achieve their dreams.

But there is still hope. There is hope because of the solidarity of many Korean citizens and migrant workers. Someday, we will meet again and struggle together and work for more ultimate things, for the abolition of all discrimination. I would ask that you afford more proactive interest in our effort, that you support us and offer your solidarity.

They say cowards kneel. They say betrayers betray. But those who are courageous struggle. All of you who have stood with us migrant workers are fine comrades. And you are courageous comrades. I may already have been deported by the time you read this, but I wish you good health. May we meet again.

Torna Limbu
Cheongju Detention Center

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/288111.html

* Hankyoreh's editor’s note: President Lee Myung-bak said, “We should protect legal foreign laborers, but ban illegal foreign laborers from walking freely,” at a Labor Ministry briefing on March 14.

Related:

☞ ICEM Protests Expulsions by Korea of Migrant Workers’ Union Leaders

☞ 이주노조 지도부 강제출국, 우리의 '힘'으로 노동허가제 쟁취하자!!

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TEACHERS TO PART-TIME COPS!!

The S.K. ruling class is experimenting with new and creative forms of "democracy" (as you can read in the following report by today's Korea Times)!!
Wow, that's really progress and development! But actually I don't understand what the new S.K. gov't has to criticize on the N. Korean reality!!?? The Dear Leader in P.Y. couldn't give a "better" order!! (Counter question to some S.K. "progressive" organisations: ...? Well, I think you know what I mean..!!??)

Teachers Mobilized to Disperse Anti-US Beef Rally
 

More than 800 teachers, mobilized by the education authorities, attempted to send home their students participating in the rally against the U.S. beef imports at Cheonggye Plaza, Saturday.

The teachers were there to "guide'' the participating students to go home at the instruction of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. The education office said students could get hurt in the crowd if they are involved in a clash with police.

Rally organizers and students criticized the education authority's measures. "Banning and supervising students' voluntary participation is an infringement of their human rights,'' a member of the civic coalition against U.S. beef imports said.

Students, civic group members and citizens have held candlelit vigils almost every evening since May 2 to oppose the full opening of the local market to U.S. beef.

Like other vigils since May 2, however, there were neither clashes between ralliers and police, nor any other dangerous, violent situations at the Saturday vigil where 30,000-40,000(*) people gathered. The exact tally varies depending on agencies.

Many teenagers have taken part in the rallies, saying they will be the main "victims'' of American beef, which they believe to be unsafe. They have lit candles despite police warnings that such rallies are illegal.

Educational authorities said earlier that some media and political groups are agitating the youth protests. Some schools sent written requests to students' homes to urge parents to dissuade the children from participating in the demonstration.

The mobilization of teachers at the rally site came after police questioned a high school boy who reported his rally plan to police. On May 6, a police officer in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, took the student out of class and questioned him over why he did it and who was behind the protest. With public criticism mounting for this incident, the officer and school teachers said the questioning took place during break time, not class ― which turned out to be false. The police officer was suspended from his duties.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/117_24348.html

☞ 청계광장 6만촛불 집결 '2MB OUT' (민주노총, 5.17)

☞ '버티는 MB, 커져가는 촛불' (통일뉴스, 5.17)

☞ '국민촛불 이명박정권 강타' (민주노총, 5.18)

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TORNA AND SABUR DEPORTED!!

As the S.K. Ministry of "Justice" already last week announced/threatened, yesterday in the late evening the two MTU leading activists comrade Torna Limbu and Abdus Sabur were deported. They were deported despite the ongoing massive protests by S.K. and international labour, human right and political groups/activists and an ongoing investigation by the S.K. Nat'l Human Right Commission.

Immediately after the deportation became public AI published a press release:

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE, 15 May 2008

South Korea: Deportation of two

senior officials of the Migrants’ Trade Union
 

Amnesty International deeply regrets the deportation of Torna Limbu and Abdus Sabur from South Korea today. Mr Limbu, a Nepalese national, and Mr Sabur, a Bangladeshi national, served as president and vice-president respectively at the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants’ Trade Union (MTU). They were both arrested on 2 May 2008.

The two men were deported despite an ongoing investigation by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) into the allegations of abuse during their arrest, including allegations that they had been beaten by immigration officers. They did not have the opportunity to challenge the decision to deport them. Mr Limbu and Mr Sabur were both detained at Cheongju detention centre in Northern Chuncheong Province, south of Seoul.

Amnesty International considers the arrest, detention and deportation of Torna Limbu and Abdus Sabur to be an attempt by the Government to deprive them of their basic labour rights protected in the South Korean constitution, including the right to freedom of association, and to intimidate migrant workers in general from exercising this right. This right is provided inter alia in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 22), to which South Korea is a state party.

“We are gravely concerned at these measures taken by the Government authorities to stop the MTU from conducting its rightful union activities. They appear to be a continuation of targeted crackdowns against its leadership since November 2007 when three senior MTU officials were arrested and subsequently deported,” said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International calls on the South Korean government to respect the right to freedom of association for all migrant workers and to ensure due process in accordance with national and international human rights standards before any deportation proceedings are carried out.

Related:

☞ Interview with Im Wol-san/MTU (Video by "Hong Gil-dong", 5.15)

☞ 2 Migrants' Union Leaders Deported (Korea Times, 5.16)

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The Taiwanese comrades from Coolloud reported two days ago following:

HK-based migrants condemn Korean suppression of MTU
Stop the Crackdown on Migrant Workers!

Members and local friends of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) and Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) trooped to the South Korean Consulate in Hong Kong today to condemn the recent assaults by the Korean government on Migrants Trade Union.

Also joining the protest action were Koreans from the E-land Trade Union and the labour committee of the People's Solidarity for Social Progress. E-land workers are currently in Hong Kong to oppose the listing of the company's Chinese subsidiary in the HK Stocks Exchange because of exploitative and repressive practices of the said company in Korea.

On May 2, Torna Limbu and Abdus Sabur, president and vice-president of MTU, respectively, were forcibly taken by members of the South Korean Immigration and detained at the Cheongju Detention Center, 2.5 hours south of Seoul.

Limbu was forcibly taken in front of the MTU Office at 8:20PM while Sabur was nabbed from his home earlier that day.

"This assault on the leaders of MTU is an obvious plot by the South Korean government to systematically suppress and crackdown on the growing migrant movement in South Korea," said Dolores Balladares, AMCB convenor and chairperson of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong.

According to Balladares, the Lee Myeong-bak regime has reared its ugly head by blatantly exposing its policy of repression and union-busting against migrant workers and continued crackdown of undocumented migrants in South Korea.

This new regime, she added, only aims to continually deny the trade union status of MTU reasoning that undocumented workers, which composed mainly the MTU membership, do not have rights and consequently should not belong to a union. "Undocumented migrants are not criminals," she stressed.

Although the MTU won the legal case for recognition of trade union status in the Seoul High Court last February 1, 2007, the Ministry of Labor and other elements of the government appealed to the Supreme Court for the repeal of the High Court's decision.

"The Lee Myeong-bak regime is one of the most oppressive and most anti-migrant governments in Asia, if not the most," said Ramon Bultron, APMM director. "It is very ironic, hypocritical and ruthless of this regime to not only deny but intently dehumanize and violate the migrant workers, of whom it continues to exploit and oppress for more economic benefit."

Instead of ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of Migrant Workers and Their Families and creating laws and policies that shall legalize undocumented workers and recognize the right of migrant workers to practice their democratic and political rights, the South Korean government, furthered Bultron, only ups the ante of suppression and rears its ugly fascist head.

"We will continue to express solidarity with the leaders and members of MTU and support for their outstanding calls: the immediate release of Limbu and Abdus, the recognition of MTU's legal union status and the legalization of undocumented migrant workers. We will continue to hound the South Korean government and call on the international community to put pressure on them until they heed these just demands," concluded Balladares...

http://www.coolloud.org.tw/node/20882

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Three days ago(5.10) the British Trades Union Congress delivered a protest letter to the S.K. ambassador in the UK:

"The Trades Union Congress, the national trade union centre for the UK with our 6.5 million members is concerned about the arrest and detention of the President of the Migrants' Trade Union (MTU), Torna Limbu, and Vice President Abudus Sabur on 2 May 2008. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to convey to your Government our belief that they need to start improving social relations in South Korea by ending repression of trade unions, including migrant trade unions. In particular, the President and the Vice-President of the MTU should be released without further delay, and allowed to continue their valuable and legitimate fight for migrant workers...

The TUC believes that it is clear from the above that the two trade union leaders were targeted in connection with their trade union activities. There is a clear pattern of arresting leaders of the MTU and deporting them shortly after they have become elected to top positions in the union. The two former presidents of the union were also arrested and deported in a similar fashion."

http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-14747-f0.cfm

Y'day the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) published following call for solidarity with MTU:

☞ Stop New Repression of Migrants Union in Korea

And finally in the Philippines the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights is demanding:

☞ Stop Repression Against MTU and Migrant Workers in S. Korea

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Last Thursday(5.08) in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka some former members/activists of MTU - mainly deported by the S.K. "authorities" - held a meeting/press conference to support the current struggle of MTU against the ongoing and increasing crackdown on migrant workers in general and the S.K. government's plan to smash the MTU "once and for all" in particular.
Two days later(5.10) the Bangladeshi bourgeois daily newspaper The Daily Star reported about the meeting/conference:

Legalise irregular(*) Bangladeshi workers to ensure rights

Bangladeshi migrants' rights organisations yesterday urged the South Korean government to legalise the irregular workers who have been living in South Korea for 10 to 15 years in a bid to ensure their rights to work.

South Korea has long been ignoring the issue of human rights of the foreign workers, though the foreign workers are playing immense role in the South Korea's economy, they said.

They also demanded to give registration to Migrant Trade Union (MTU), a union of foreign workers, by Industry of Labour in South Korea and immediate release of MTU leaders who were arrested recently.

They raised the demands at a press conference organised jointly by Mutual Welfare Society, International Migrants Foundation and Welfare Association for the Rights of Bangladeshi Emigrants (WARBE) at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium in the city.

Moniruzzaman Masum, a migrant leader, said according to the estimate of the Bangladesh government, over 12,000 workers are now working in South Korea. Of them, 6000-7000 workers are irregular.

MTU's former General Secretary comrade Masum on the conference..

 He was arrested and deported in Dec. last year by the S.K. "authorities".

He also said it is a matter of regret that the Bangladesh government does not have any accurate information about the workers who have been contributing a lot to the country's national economy by their uphill struggle.

He also said 80 percent of the workers are forced to work irregularly due to the government mismanagement.

He urged the government to do something for legalisation of Bangladeshi workers in South Korea immediately.

In a written statement, International Migrants Foundation President G M Rabbani said, “Formed in 2005, MTU has been working for establishing rights of the foreign workers in South Korea. Korean Confederation of Trade Union approved the MTU. Though the High Court of South Korea in its verdict directed the ministry of labour to give registration to MTU, the ministry is yet to give registration to MTU.”

He also said people of 103 countries are working in South Korea and about 2.4 lakh foreign workers out of 4.5 lakh are working there on irregular basis.

Rabbani also said MTU has been facing repression by the government of South Korea since its inception and now three MTU leaders, including its Vice President Abdus Sabur, were arrested on May 2 as they raised their voice for the rights of foreign workers. They will submit a memorandum to Korean Embassy in Bangladesh, hold meeting with foreign adviser, send letters to the United Nations (UN) office in Bangladesh and International Labour Organisation (ILO), stage a human chain and conduct a mass signature campaign, they announced...

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=35666

* Of course they mean "un-documented" (migrant) workers!! 

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Only two weeks ago OneFreeKorea (US) cheered: "Better Them Than Us: Korean Nationalism Turns on China", but (fortunately) this was just a short "pleasure"! Just few days later the "Korean Nationalism" (unfortunatey) turned back to business as usual, the "National Struggle Against the US-Imperialism".. and founded the..

 Anti-Mad AmeriCow Revolution

Since about ten days tens of thousands of demonstrastors are taking the streets of S.K. to protest against the planned (based on the SK-US FTA agreement) import of  US beef, "very likely infected with BSE" (..of course, what else!?!?).

Tens of thousands of people in S.K.'s major cities took to the streets last Friday and Saturday protesting the government's decision to resume imports of U.S. beef after a five-year ban.

Only on Friday more than 30,000 people participated in a candlelight vigil in Seoul which was organized by a coalition of 1,500 civic groups and Internet-based communities in what was the biggest gathering since the government announced plans to relax the import restrictions on U.S. beef.

And the Americans in SK.. What they've to say?: "The Koreans are Mad at 'Americow' Disease!"..

☞ They May Already Have vCJD (K. Times, 5.08)

☞ President's arrogance contributed to continued protests (Hankyoreh, 5.10)

☞ South Korean beef overcooked (Asia Times/HK, 5.07)

☞ Rally Against US Beef Sweeps Nation (Korea Times, 5.10)

☞ One Million Netizens Favor Impeachment

☞ Text-Message War Looms Over Candlelight Vigils

☞ Police Issue Strong Warning to Candlelit Ralliers

PS:

My suggestion how you can avoid the contaminated U.S. beef: EAT DOG MEAT and KIMCHI!! And dont't forget to drink every night (at least) one bottle of SOJU!! It's very healthy and you support the local producers!!

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CNN's correspondent Christiane Amanpour gives a rare glimpse of the secret society in the "Notes from North Korea" airing tomorrow (KST 2300, CET 1600 on CNN Int'l) and Sunday (KST 1500).. Well, just check it out! It could be an interesting(*) report!

☞ Behind the Scenes: Amanpour's notes from North Korea (CNN, 5.08)

* Of course(!!) you don't have to believe(^^) everything what you see, hear, smell, feel... "DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!" (Public Enemy)

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Before y'day activists in Taiwan (Coolloud) released following call for solidarity (the same text has been published in HongKong by the APMM):

Condemn the Continuing Crackdown on the MTU

The continuing arrests of the top leadership of the Migrants Trade Union (MTU) a day after International Labor Day sends a chilling effect on the migrant and general workers movement in South Korea. This should be condemned by all as this is clearly meant to crush the MTU and sow terror among the grassroots migrant organizations.

Torna Limbu and Abdus Sabur, President and Vice President respectively assumed the leadership of the MTU only on April 6 this year. They just replaced the top leadership of said organization who were arrested on November 27 last year and who were subsequently deported.

Most of the members of the MTU are undocumented migrant workers. Their organization has been steadfast in its struggle against the crackdown on such kinds of workers since its formation in 2005.

This includes winning a legal battle in the Seoul High Court on 1 February 2007 whereby undocumented migrant workers won the right to freedom of association and the right to unionize. The Korean government, however, has appealed the decision to its Supreme Court which will make a decision in the middle to the end of this year.

The number of undocumented migrant workers is growing despite the introduction of the Employment Permit System (EPS) and the dissolution of the trainee system last year. The South Korean government however is hell-bent in cracking down on such kinds of workers.

We call on all to condemn the South Korean government on its latest repressive actions. Undocumented migrant workers are not criminals and should not be treated as such. Even the International Covenant on Migrant Workers of the United Nations recognizes their rights.

Support the MTU and KCTU's calls to stop the repression on the MTU and all undocumented migrant workers in Korea!

Call for the immediate release of President Torna Limbu and Vice President Abdus Sabur!

Recognize MTU's legal union status and its right to freedom of association!

http://www.coolloud.org.tw/node/20604

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First of all: "The crackdown on illegal immigrants will continue for three months to root out any possible social and labor problems involving illegal immigrants, according to the Ministry of Justice" (Korea Herald, 5.07)

2 Heads of Migrants' Union Face Deportation (K.T., 5.07)
 
Two top officials of an unauthorized migrants' union will be deported next week on illegal residence charges.

Members of the union claim the arrest was made to interrupt the establishment of the foreign labors' union that has acted against the government's labor policies. The government denies the allegation, saying it was a regular search.

The Ministry of Justice announced Wednesday it arrested Nepalese Torna Limbu, 42, head of the Migrants' Trade Union, and Bangladeshi vice president, 39, identified only by his surname ― Sabur, last Friday. The two, who have been illegally residing here for 16 and 9 years, respectively, were sent to the Cheongju Detention Center in North Chungcheong Province.

``They will be deported by the end of next week,'' Kim Young-geun of Korea Immigration Service told The Korea Times. ``They have lost their passports. We asked the Nepalese and Bangladeshi embassies in Seoul to re-issue their passports as soon as possible.''

According to the ministry, the two foreign labors have controlled the union since last November when their predecessors left the country by force. Since then, they have organized several protests along with civic groups to call on the government to revise some touchy labor issues such as giving legal residence status to all illegal migrant workers.

``We prioritize the arrest of illegal employment agents and illegal residents who overstay their visas. The foreign nationals in question have lived here for a long time. Also, they have actively participated in and organized anti-government protests,'' Kim said.

A street protest opposing the government's move was held in front of the government building in central Seoul, Wednesday, in the presence of more than 50 members from the migrants' union, Federation of Korean Trade Unions and some civic groups.

Lee Jung-won, spokeswoman for the foreign workers' union, said ``It is unjustifiable to take them away by force. We will press the government to release them immediately.''

``The police apparently intended to catch the two union heads to disband our union,'' Lee said.

The foreign labor rights group, which has failed to win legal status from the authorities, filed a suit against the government last year and the case is pending in the Supreme Court.

The crackdown on illegal migrants is likely to continue during the next three months since the government launched a special team this month to contain the soaring number of illegal immigrants here.

As of January, a total of 653,064 foreign laborers were living in Korea, including an estimated 202,817 illegal workers, the justice ministry said. The government estimates more than 20,000 illegal workers have resided here for a decade or longer.
 

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/117_23810.html

Already y'day(5.06) the S.K. "left"-liberal daily newspaper Hankyoreh reported:

MTU leaders arrested for holding demonstrations
Latest arrest could be the start of sweeping crackdowns on migrant workers

The Ministry of Justice announced on May 5 that it had arrested two leaders of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrant Trade Union, including its president Torner Rimbu(*), for organizing demonstrations against the government. The MTU is protesting the arrests, saying that the incident is the beginning of a sweeping roundup of foreign workers.
 

According to the ministry, the two MTU leaders led demonstrations against government policy. The MTU, with the cooperation of other civic groups, have held demonstrations to demand that all immigrants without visas be given legal status and the employment permit system, which allows companies to hire migrant workers only when Korean citizens cannot be found, be abolished. The ministry announced that it would deport the two MTU leaders, both of whom had overstayed their visas. Torner Rimbu became the MTU president after the group's former president, Kaji Man(**), was deported in November.
 

The ministry formed a task force on May 1 and launched the first crackdown on all migrant workers without visas since the inauguration of President Lee Myung-bak in late February. The ministry plans to continue its crackdown for the next three months, and says that it will prevent illegal foreign workers from making inroads into the domestic labor market.

"The target of crackdown is our leaders, the fact that two of our leaders were arrested as soon as the crackdown began proves it," representatives from the MTU said.

Lee Jeong-won, an MTU official, said that they saw the crackdown coming after the new government began stating that there should be stricter enforcement of the law. The government wanted to remove the MTU leadership ahead of the crackdown on migrant workers, Lee, the MTU official, added.
 

The MTU also said that dozens of immigration authorities ambushed Rimbu, the MTU president, in order to catch him.

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/285993.html

* Torna Limbu!!
** Kh. Kajiman