401개의 게시물을 찾았습니다.
Yesterday's Hankyoreh published following feature:
In Maseok, unhealed wounds after
‘human hunt’ for migrant workers
Ongoing crackdowns are threatening the human rights of migrant workers and the existence of small businesses with few hiring choices
A visit to Maseok Furniture Industrial Complex on Monday afternoon showed that the wounds of last year’s crackdown have not yet healed.
“Making furniture is a technical trade, but once we’ve taught them and they’re good enough, they drag them away. Koreans don’t come, either. They say it’s too tough. The legal ones who have come in through the employment permit system leave right away. I really don’t know what they expect us to do.” The 50-year-old director of “D” furniture company launched immediately into his rant. Three of the four migrant workers he had employed at his factory were dragged off in last year’s crackdown. Half of his entire workforce of six was gone, just like that. “After that, the factory sat idle for a while, and only recently did I manage to find workers and open up the factory again,” he said. The nation is said to be facing an unprecedented hiring crisis, but even the three new employees he managed to bring in were all unregistered migrant workers.
There are more than 350 small-scale manufacturing businesses located in Maseok and more than 600 migrant workers. These workers were expected to keep the factories moving, and when they suddenly disappeared in last year’s crackdown, more than 40 small workplaces were forced to shut their doors completely.
The government crackdown is still ongoing. A week ago on March 4, another “rabbit hunt” resulted in 13 more people being carted away. In other years it would be time of boundless energy with the marriage season ahead, but lately the area was been swept up in anxiety over when the crackdown squad might be making another appearance. Factory “J,” which had four of its five employees taken away in last Wednesday’s crackdown, has halted its production line.
“If we get hit by another crackdown this time, we’ll have to go into default,” said the director of company “H,” which produces bathroom slippers. “I know that unregistered migrant workers are illegal, but what am I supposed to do when there’s no one who comes here and says they want to work?” he asked.
In contrast, the unregistered migrant workers targeted in the crackdown were serene, as though they had given up hope.Thirty-year-old Nepali “Hobin” said, “I’m really scared of a crackdown, but if I get caught, I get caught. I have to keep working because of my family back home.” Attached to Hobin’s windowless lodgings is a sticker that reads “STOP CRACKDOWN.”
Hankyoreh editor's note: The National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea (NHRCK, Chair Ahn Kyong-whan) announced Tuesday that a number of human rights violations took place in the Ministry of Justice’s crackdown last November on unregistered migrant workers in the Maseok Furniture Industrial Complex. As a result, the NHRCK’s recommendations to the Minister of Justice included: rectifying crackdown practices such as excessive suppression, establishing measures to prevent such events from happening again, and conducting sexual harassment education for employees of the Korea Immigration Service’s investigation team who participated in the crackdown. In its investigation, the NHRCK reported finding such actions as: breaking down a dormitory door and forcibly detaining female foreigners who were sleeping, ignoring medical measures for victims wounded during pursuit, failing to give the required notification prior to exercising force, and violating human rights, for example in the case of foreign women who were forced to wait for a long period of time in an escort vehicle and told to relieve themselves outside when they said they needed to use the bathroom. The Hankyoreh visited the scene following last November’s “human hunt” to get a feel for the situation of the foreign workers living in Maseok.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/343458.html
Related articles:
☞ Human rights were violated in crackdown... (Yonhap, 3.11)
☞ Migrant workers sue the state for illegal crackdowns (Hankyoreh, 3.12)
It's likely wellknown: today is the International Migrants' Day!
Already last Sunday MTU - together with several other organizations (representing migrant workers from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal and the Philippines), KCTU and some solidarity groups - celebrated the event:
Comrade "Hong Gil-dong from the Forest" made a short video about the event, incl. a photo story about the history of the migrant workers' struggle in S. Korea. You can watch/see it here!
Yesterday people representing culture, media and academia had a meeting in a restaurant in Myeong-dong, were they called on S.K. gov't and society not to discriminate migrant workers. 299 public figures signed a declaration, demanding human, labour rights and respect for all migrant workers in S.K. (according to Hankyoreh and MTU):
Related report from last Sunday's MTU/KCTU solidarity event:
☞ 세계 이주민의 날 맞이 연대마당 잘 마쳤습니다.
..and about yesterday's meeting in Myeong-dong:
Finally a few more impressions from Sunday's MTU/KCTU solidarity event:
Sources of the pics: "Hong Gil-dong..", Hankyoreh, MTU
PS:
Almost simultaneously (1 p.m.) a bunch of f****** reactionary idiots (racists!!) will held a rally/march in Daehangno calling for a "stronger crackdown" on migrant workers!!
☞ “불체자 우대하는 세력 때문에 서민층 역차별”
Once again, like every year (^^): Remember the Sit-in Struggle of migrant workers in S. Korea!
Five years ago, in the night from Nov. 15 to Nov. 16, about 200 migrant workers have begun the 387-day sit-in strike on Myeong-dong Cathedral's compound (in downtown Seoul) to protest and resist against the beginning of S.K. government's crackdown - manhunt, mass arrests and deportations - against (undocumented) migrant workers in the country..
Previous contributions to "celebrate" (incl. pictures and music) the "anniversary":
☞ 2005
☞ 2006
☞ 2007
Call for Action Against the Massive Crackdown on Migrant Workers in Maseok, South Korea
A massive and unlawful crackdown by the Ministry of Justice and police force took place in the Seong-Sang Furniture Factory Complex in Maseok (Namyangju City, Gyeonggi-do, S. Korea) today on November 12th from 9:30AM. This crackdown was a co-operation between the Prosecutor's Office and the Police force, with 100 police officers, and immigration offices of Seoul, Eujeongbu, and Incheon Airport.
The crackdown began with the block-down of the front and the back gate of the Maseok factory complex with police buses, and the immigration officers grabbed migrant workers on the street, in the factories, in the dormitories and homes, resulting in more than 100 migrant workers in custody. During the crackdown, human rights of migrant workers were severely violated, as the immigration officers failed to present proper identification, verbal and physical abuse, excessive use of force including handcuffs, unlawful breaking and entering into personal homes and factories, and racially-based targeting of migrant workers regardless of checking their passport or visa.
Among those who were taken by the immigration include a young Bangladeshi mother of a four-year-old, and a Nepalese male worker in de facto marriage with a Korean woman, awaiting official documentations sent from Nepal with their 11-month-old son. Also, many migrant workers were injured during this violent crackdown while running away from the chase from immigration officers, two among which needing serious operations. One migrant worker injured his knees and foot while running away from the immigration, but was locked in the immigration office without given treatment despite his several pleas of pains and medical needs. According to the press release from the Ministry of Justice, another crackdown also took place in the Cheong-san Farm in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do in a similar manner.
This massive crackdown is putting migrant workers, documented and undocumented, in the state of terror and fear, depriving them of their labor and human rights. The fact that police force was active and present during the immigration crackdown makes us question the willingness from the government to protect the basic human rights of migrant workers. In this state of terror that the crackdown created, many migrant workers are afraid of stepping out of their homes, to the extent that a pregnant Filipina woman with a valid working visa was afraid of going to a hospital.
Despite of the apparent violence that was place upon the lives of migrant workers, the Ministry of Justice is claiming that “this massive crackdown operation is to uphold the order of foreigners’ residence because the living area of illegal aliens has become slums free of public order and the hotbed of crimes committed by foreigners,” according to their press release. The Ministry further argues that this crackdown “is inevitable to uphold the national legal order, to protect local citizens, and to protect the human rights of illegal aliens themselves.”
Yet the data on the crimes in Maseok area shows that the rate of crime for foreigners is even lower than that of Korean citizens, and the local citizens contest the absurdity of claiming Maseok as a slum full of crimes.
Rather, the factory complex of Maseok is the center of local economy, and this kind of massive crackdown against migrant workers who work and live side by side with Korean citizens hurt the local residents, rather than protecting them, let alone protecting the rights of migrant workers. In fact, the true reason that these two places - Maseok and Yeoncheon - were selected as targets of massive crackdown under the Lee Myung-bak government is because of their previous history of resisting the violent immigration crackdown, where local Korean citizens and migrant workers all came together to fight for their rights.
In the face of this unlawful and violent crackdown, we demand the government to apologize and to release those who were taken during the crackdown. The legal order cannot be stepped upon the human rights violation of migrant workers nor the violent against them. Therefore, we ask the government to take the following action:
- Stop unlawful and violent crackdown against migrant workers
- Stop the proposed co-operation of crackdown with immigration and police force
- Apologize for human rights violations and bring those responsible to justice
- Release the migrant workers from the crackdown immediately
2008, Nov. 12
Alliance for the Human Rights of Migrant Workers
Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea
Seoul-Incheon-Gyeonggi Migrant Trade Union (MTU)
Source of the statement: MTU
1.) It seems that the Wednesday's crackdown attack against migrant workers in Maseok/Namyangju (see my contribution from y'day) is not only aimed on "reducing the number of illegal migrants" (according to the Ministry of 'Justice').. I think there is something much more important behind it!
The main aim of the LMB gov't are "activities of illegal migrants — including forming a union and protesting to have their immigration status legalized and participating in political protests.." The main goal is the MTU and its destruction, once and for all - as soon as possible!!
And finally its simply a primitive attempt (by the gov't) to take revenge for the activities of migrant workers in S.K. "as they have unionized and are starting to demand legalization of their status" (as JoongAng Ilbo quoted today a Mo'J' official).
2.) An editorial in today's Hankyoreh demanded:
Stop the crackdowns on migrant workers
Another indiscriminate crackdown on unregistered migrant workers was started again. The day before yesterday, the Ministry of Justice and police arrested some 130 migrant workers in Gyeonggi Province’s Namyangju City and Yeoncheon County. This brutal crackdown was aimed at achieving tangible results as part of an internal target to arrest and expel some 20,000 unregistered migrant workers by the end of this year.
Some said this crackdown was like a military operation. When police officers sealed off a small street, blocking a group of migrant workers, immigration officials from the Justice Ministry arrested them (*). It is inhumane and goes against human rights. This particular approach is highly likely to cause accidents or injuries. In January, an ethnic Korean migrant worker from China died after falling off an eight-story building to avoid detention during a similar crackdown. In April, a Bangladeshi worker was seriously injured after falling off a three-story building. During the crackdown two days ago, five migrant workers were wounded, including a Cameroonian worker whose ankle was broken. Such a fox hunt, which could cause the death of a worker, should be stopped immediately.
Undocumented migrant workers, estimated to total some 220,000 people in South Korea, lose their legal status as a result of the government’s deplorable policy. Authorities ban migrant workers from moving to other factories, despite the fact that they receive far lower wages than Korean workers. Just when they get used to their work, the work permit system requires that they return to their nations. Unless the government revises the work permit system and discriminatory wage structure, it will be impossible to reduce the number of undocumented migrant workers. With those fundamental problems continually ignored, strengthening the crackdown can’t fix things.
It is time to change our fundamental view of migrant workers. Regardless of their legal status, migrant workers contribute to the society in many ways. They help small and medium-sized businesses, which are struggling with the economic malaise, as well as the areas where they live, by stimulating their local economies. People have the right to live where they want. Undocumented migrant workers should be given legal status, not expelled.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/321805.html
* Almost the same tactics they used in their permanent attempts to arrest us during our (ETU-MB, MSSC) protest rallies/demonstrations between 2002 and 2005...
3.) The conservative/reactionary JoongAng Ilbo published today following article:
Illegal workers injured in Gyeonggi crackdown
Police and the immigration office arrested over 100 illegal immigrants in Namyangju and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province in an aggressive crackdown that is being criticized by human rights groups.
According to the Ministry of Justice, 280 Korea Immigration Service and police officers raided the Maseok industrial park in Namyangju and an industrial area in Yeoncheon County on Wednesday morning. It was the biggest clampdown on illegal migrant workers since President Lee Myung-bak took office.
After surrounding the area so the workers could not escape, the officials entered the factories and dormitories and began checking passports.
A migrant worker from Cameroon tried to escape over a wall but fell and fractured his ankle. Four other workers were also injured.
Those arrested will be sent to a detention center for foreigners and then deported.
“The migrant workers were chased like rabbits and some were injured as they tried to escape,” said Lee Young, a Catholic priest and a senior member of the Joint Committee with Migrants in Korea. “Even a mother with a five-year-old daughter was arrested.”
The Justice Ministry, however, is determined to continue such crackdowns. “There are 700 illegal migrant workers in Maseok industrial park and 200 in Yeoncheon,” it told the press. “We will take stern measures against illegal workers, who are violating the law.”
The crackdown was conducted as part of a plan to reduce the number of illegal workers here. The ministry plans to cut the number to 200,000 from the current 220,000 in a bid to reduce the illegal portion of foreigners in Korea to 10 percent from the current 19.3 percent by 2012.
The ministry said the illegal worker situation has reached a boiling point, as they have unionized and are starting to demand legalization of their status.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2897347
Related article:
☞ Declaration of War - LMB Gov't vs. Migrant Workers
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