5112개의 게시물을 찾았습니다.
As today's "weekend reading" I would like to suggest...
...with its really fascinating traval reports from N. Korea:
http://monsoondiaries.com/category/destinations/north-korea
Please enjoy your weekend!!
The Alliance for Migrants’ Equality and Human Rights published today the following press release:
Welcoming the Court's Ruling against the Immigration Service's Cancellation of MTU President Michel Catuira's Visa!
On September 15, 2011 the Seoul 12th Administrative Court issued a verdict cancelling all punitive immigration measures taken by the Seoul Immigration Service against MTU President Michel Catuira including the ‘cancellation of the permit to transfer workplaces’, ‘cancellation of the extension of residence period’ (equal to cancellation of President Catuira’s visa) and ‘order to leave the country’, measures taken on February 10, 2011, and the ‘denial of application for extension of the residence period’, and ‘notice of requirement to leave the country,’ measures taken on March 17, 2011.
We believe that the court’s decision reflects the just and legitimate claims MTU and the entire migrant rights movement have made throughout the course of President Catuira’s investigation and trial. Together with MTU’s members and all of the migrant rights organizations that fought alongside President Catuira, we whole-heartedly welcome the court’s ruling. To all those who have given their support and solidarity, we give our heartfelt gratitude.
In relation to the Seoul Immigration Service’s claim that the company where President Catuira was employed did not exist and its cancellation of his visa, the court ruled that, “There is no evidence worthy of noting to suggest that [President Catuira] obtained his permits [of employment and residence] in a false or otherwise unlawful manner.” In other words, the court acknowledge that President Catuira’s previous workplace did in fact exist, and that the Immigration Service’s denial of the extension of President Catuira’s residence permit after an injunction against the measure cancelling it had been issues was also unjust. (Please refer to the timeline of events below for details).
In relation to President Catuira’s activities as the leader of MTU, the court ruled, “Based on Article 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, Article 2.1 and Article 23.4 of the International Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, Article 2.1 and Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 2.2 and Article 8.1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, it is correct to understand the basic rights enjoyed by workers… as applying to migrant workers as well…” In addition, the court stated that in light of the Seoul Immigration Service’s deportation of MTU officers in the past, “It is suspected the [immigration measures taken against President Catuira] were not taken for the ostensible reason given but, in fact, because of the plaintiff’s [President Catuira’s] activities as leader of the Migrants’ Trade Union.” In other words, the court affirmed that President Catuira had not been falsely employed, that the measures taken against him could be understood as acts of repression against MTU and that migrant workers’ labor rights are protected in the South Korean Constitution and in international law.
We call on the Seoul Immigration Service to respect the court’s ruling and immediately restore President Catuira’s visa status, desist in its repression of MTU and take the necessary steps to fully protect migrant workers’ labor rights. At the same time, we proclaim that we will continue to defend MTU and to fight until we have won respect for migrant workers’ human and labor rights.
September 15, 2011
Alliance for Migrants’ Equality and Human Rights
Timeline of Events:
- March 5, 2010: President Catuira hired by company D.
- July 13: President Catuira and employer are interviewed at the East Seoul Ministry of Labor office.
- August: The East Seoul Ministry of Labor sends request to employer asking him to apply for a change of workplace for President Catuira given that his company has no work.
- November 19: the East Seoul Ministry of Labor sends employer a memo “requesting opinion on the pending cancellation of employment permit.” (The Eastern Seoul Ministry of Labor claims to have visited the company 3 times).
- November 23: The Seoul Immigration Service’s Special Immigration Investigation Team sends President Catuira and his employer request to appear for an interview by December 3 based on, “suspicion of violations of the Immigration Control Law in the course of applying for a workplace transfer and with relation to actual performance of work duties at present.”
- November 25: As President Catuira’s legal representative, Gonggam lawyer Yun Ji-yeong checks details of suspicions against President Catuira. The Immigration Service mentions suspicion of violation of Article 89 (cancellation of change of permits) and Article 17 (scope of foreigners’ stay and activities) of the Immigration Control Act.
- December 2: the East Seoul Ministry of Labor sends notice of cancellation of ‘permit to employ foreign workers’ to the employer.
- December 6: The Chief of the Seoul Immigration Service sends request for second appearance to President Catuira.
- December 8: KCTU, Minbyun Labor Committee meet Chief of Seoul Immigration, receive assurance that President Catuira will not be arrested upon appearance.
- December 22: Following a press conference President Catuira appears for interview at Seoul Immigration Service. There is no mention of “prohibition of political activities” (Article 17 above), only detailed questioning concerning accusation of ‘false employment’.
- February 14, 2011: Seoul Immigration Service notifies lawyer of cancellation of residence permit and order to leave the country and sends a fax dated Feb. 10.
- February 15: President Catuira and lawyer agree to file for an injunction.
- March 3: the Seoul 12th Administrative Court grants injunction stopping the execution of all immigration measures until suit against them is complete.
- March 5: President Catuira applies for extension of residence permit to cover period allowed for finding new employment (until April 6).
- March 17: Seoul Immigration Service denies extension of residence permit and sends notice to leave country.
- March 22: President Catuira applies for G-1 visa (permit of residence for humanitarian reasons) at Seoul Immigration Service.
- March 29: Seoul Immigration Service sends notice of denial of G-1 visa.
- September 15: 12th Seoul Administrative Court issues verdict cancelling all punitive immigration measures against President Catuira.
http://migrant.nodong.net/?document_srl=176496#0
The view from the roof of my new 'home' ("Bin-jib", Yongsan-dong 2-ga):
Article, related to "Bin-jib":
☞ 옆방 남자 무서워 하는 일, 이곳에선 없어요 (OMN, 11.2.26)
For more info about "Bin-jib" please check out:
☞ 해방촌 게스츠하우스 빈집/빈마을
Today in the afternoon/evening we were supporting the Jaeneung Sit-in Strike Collective (now since 1361 days in strike!!). Here just some impressions of our common solidarity party to celebrate the end of Chuseok:
Impressions from the (hopefully!!) final version of our struggle tent, currently located in “Myeong-dong Gil” (50 meters left from the cathedral's compound):
Here you can watch the process of creation of our new banner:
Y'day in Thessaloniki: While the Greek prime minister wanted to present the ruling class - leading capitalists, the military leadership and the heads of the orthodox church - his new "program to rescue the greek economy", tens of thousands citizens protested against "their" gov't and its antisocial policy...
Related article:
☞ Greece on verge of default... (Guardian, 9.11)
Our special Chuseok gift, given (since today morning 05:15) to us by Daewoo Construction (mafia!!), their hired gangsters, the police and Jung-gu (district) office:
Our former struggle center ('Cafe Mari'), yesterday and today(uhuu~):
But of course we'll not give up the fight!!! That's our Chuseok gift for f*cking Daewoo Construction (mafia!!), their hired gangsters etc.!!
Yesterday evening the struggle tenants of Myeong-dong's 'Cafe Mari' reached an agreement with the "developing" and the construction company (Mafia). But as we know, they got an acceptable compensation only, but no really alternate place in the nearer neighborhood.(AND whether the compensation was acceptable is itself an unsolved mystery) And of course they'll get no place in the planned buildings.
The possible reason why they gave up so fast (we wanted to struggle until the bitter end!!):
1. They were completely inexperienced and unorganized.
2. The enduring attack by the gangsters really scared them.
3. Possibly they also were overchallenged by our kind of solidarity??!!
4. Physically challenged and tired by various pressures(e.g. lawsuits), they were driven to give up(only part of the process, though).
Anyway, today in the morning we had to clean the struggle center ('Cafe Mari') and in the early afternoon after a short press conference we left it and went into "exile"(^^), just around the corner(Myeong-dong 13gil).
Later in the early evening we decided to move some meters up in the direction of Myeong-dong Cathedral. And possibly here we'll stay until the 'bitter' end...
PS: Its (our 'exile') advantage is that it's much more quieter than 'Cafe Mari' (it has been on a huge road with f*cking a lot of traffic, day and night) and the air is more clean. The disadvantage: we're now in the direct neighborhood of the gangsters' office(^^)...
In Commemoration of Lee So-seon, the "Mother of the S. Korean Working Class"
Kyunghyang Shinmun wrote the following:
The Debt We Owe Lee So-seon
Lee So-seon, mother of labor activist and martyr Chun Tae-il, died on Sep. 3. Mourners are now queuing up to pay their respects to her.
The story of Lee's intense life of justice, intensity and hardship is a highly moving one. If her son, Chun, was a patriot and comrade of our era, Lee was like a mother to Korea's labor, democracy and human liberation movements.
Lee devoted half her life converting the light that her son turned on into hope for the future. She pushed ceaselessly at the small hole her son had pierced in the pitch-black skies above Korea's workers, gradually making it wider.
She devoted herself entirely to realizing her strong desire that even the poorest of lives be lived with human dignity. Her life was one of love itself.
Chun Tae-il, who set fire to himself on November 13, 1970, left a note to his mother asking her to be sure to achieve that which he had not yet managed to do. Lee promised him, "As long as I remain alive, I will do what you intended to do."
She did not even have time to grieve over the loss of her son. Chun's will was just, and his will became that of his mother. The unjust world that had enraged her worker son enraged his mother, too.
But although Lee was determined and resolute when it came to injustice, the path she took was always a reassuring climb to the comrades that accompanied her. This is why everybody referred to her as a mother figure.
Lee was a symbol of solidarity. She would be present wherever there was a struggle for human dignity. Even recently, she would drag her aching body to the sites of sit-in protests.
At the beginning of this year, she visited Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction workers fighting against redundancy firings and stayed up all night in a tent beneath the crane of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions activist Kim Jin-suk.
In the harsh era of the 1970s and 1980s, too, Lee's virtues of solidarity and sympathy lent great strength to the survival of the democratic labor movement.
In the face of adversity greater than that of death itself, she never lost hope or became discouraged. Her life was one in which life through death cultivated hope.
Even in the midst of hardship, Lee never gave up her dream of a world without discrimination. "Workers have fallen into the river and there is nobody to hold out a hand to them," she said last year. "Part-time workers can do nothing. What are politicians doing? I really hope I see a good world before I die."
Lee, who spent 41 years as a fighter and mother to all, bearing in her heart the memory of her burned son, died in the fervent hope that labor discrimination would disappear.
Lee proved as founded the hope that the world can be changed by fighting against injustice and banding together with justice. Now it is our turn to inherit the promise that she made.
http://english.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?artid=201109051320167&code=790101
Related articles:
☞ “이소선 어머니, 희망버스를 손수 몰고 계신가요” (NewCham, 9.07)
☞ 전태일 열사 산화한 그곳에서...이소선 여사 노제 진행 (VoP, 9.07)
☞ 2000여 시민들 통곡 "야속합니다, 어머니..." (OMN, 9.07)
☞ Mother of laborers in heaven (Hankyoreh, 9.05)
First of all: Exactly 5 minutes after the following (now outdated, sorry^^) report was ready for uploading, the first of our yesterday arrested comrades arrived here in our struggle/sit-in center ('Cafe Mari')! Usually you've to spend 48 hours in custody, but - possibly because of our unorthodox protest - they were released after 'only' 28 hours!
*****
Here just some impressions from today's press conference in front of Namdaemun Police HQ(responsible for yesterday's crackdown) where we demanded the immediately release of our seven comrades(arrested y'day afternoon) and the end of the repression/violent attacks against us, i.e. resisting/protesting and the supporters:
"War orphan", since y'day missing her father:
Translation: "At this time, this cute dog's ('Nana') father has been arrested by the cops, because he protested (yesterday) against 'redevelopment' in Myeong-dong. Therefore Nana is now a sad orphan."
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