CINA

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MWTV  "propaganda"

**117주년 노동절 맞이 이주노동자 대회**

"단속추방중단, 미등록이주노동자 전면합법화"를 위한
117주년 노동절 맞이 이주노동자 결의대회를 개최합니다
이주노동자 공동체와 이주노조가 공동 주최합니다
동지들의 뜨거운 연대와 지지를 보내주십시오! 투쟁!

일시 - 2007년 4월 29일, 오후 2시
장소 - 서울역 광장

민주노총 서울본부, 서울경인이주노동자노동조합, 네팔공동체연합, 버마행동, 필리핀 공동체, 방글라데시공동체, 스리랑카 공동체, 인도네시아 공동체

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Following - in my opinion - interesting article was published in today's Hankyoreh:

Foreigners cite nationalism, discrimination

as barriers to life in Korea
In wake of Virginia Tech incident, Korean society called on

to accept its own immigrants

A 30-year-old foreign woman, who gained South Korean nationality last year after leaving her home in a central Asian country to marry a Korean, wept on April 20 as she talked to a Hankyoreh reporter. Her bloodshot eyes were mixed with anger and chagrin. Her anger centers on how her 10-year-old son is treated in school, where he is a third-grade elementary student. "Fourth and fifth grade students beat my son because he is different in appearance. Despite my appeals to the school, the matter hasn’t been resolved.” Because of the matter, she transferred her son to another school, but the situation did not change. "My son is scared of going to school," she sighed.

***

A 36-year-old Mongolian woman came to South Korea in 2003. Though she received Korean nationality last year, she has seen no difference in her poor treatment. While she received a Korean identification card instead of a foreigner’s one, and while her appearance is similar to that of Koreans, these do not help her. "When I go to a restaurant or a store, people use polite expressions to greet me. But when they hear my pronunciation, they begin to talk impolitely to me." She plans to change her name to a Korean one because her five-year-old son would otherwise be discriminated against at elementary school, which he begins next year. Even in kindergarten, students ask the teacher whether her son, Min-su (not his real name), is Korean or not.

***

Given this atmosphere, how would South Korean society react if an immigrant commited a crime similar to the Virginia Tech massacre?

In the wake of the tragedy caused by a South Korean immigrant, some critics pointed out that South Koreans should reflect upon their attitude toward foreign immigrants such as Southeast Asian workers and others. In particular, as some foreigners who have gained South Korean nationality still suffer from widespread discrimination and prejudice, racism in South Korean society is under close scrutiny.

The central Asian woman said, "While the U.S. is a multiracial society, discrimination and prejudice are much more rampant in South Korea because Koreans think of themselves as a homogeneous people." The Mongolian woman said, "When I talk with my Mongolian friend on the subway, I am surprised by the coldness seen in the reactions of Koreans around us." She said her Filippino friends were told by other Koreans they were being noisy when they talked in their mother language.

Lee Cheol-seung, head of a foreign labor consultancy in South Gyeongsang Province, said, "Typically, Koreans treat immigrants as expatriates because they aren’t ethnic Koreans. If one were to commit a crime similar to that of Seung-hui Cho, ethnic Koreans would consider him as a non-Korean, as still being a member of the society from which he initially came," Lee said.

Kim Yun-jae, a lawyer who emigrated to the U.S., said, "Most Koreans see the [Virginia Tech] tragedy as a cause for shame and guilt, instead of considering it an incident caused by structural problems in American society. In light of this attitude, most Koreans are likely to treat immigrants and naturalized Koreans in the same way [they treated the Cho incident]," he added.

Kang Seong-hye, head of an emergency call center for immigrant women, said, "To resolve the matter of Koreans’ nationalistic exclusivity, we should figure out ways to reshape the community, and teach this in schools in order to share it with society. Services are also needed to help immigrants adapt to being Korean," Kang said.

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/204736.html

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Well, I hope you'll have a nice party!!

☞  MWTV/이주노동자의 방송

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Yesterday's Migrant Workers' Rally in Seoul

Here just some impression in pictures (made by "채널만호"):

The entire report:

☞ 4.1, 여수참사 희생자 49재 맞아 정부 규탄 대집회 열려 (MTU)

Ralated:

☞ “네덜란드 보호소 화재 사건으로 두 명의 장관이 사임” (Chamsesang)

Tomorrow (Tuesday, 4.03, 8pm) there will be a open discussion meeting between MTU and MW activists from Holland in the MTU office (Jung-gu, Yegwan-dong, MediCenter Building 70-27, 3rd fl./its near Uljiro 4-ga subway stn).

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Among the (final??/hopefully NOT!!!) battles against the planned ROK-US FTA [☞ Anti-FTA Protests Escalating in Seoul/K. Times, "이 협상은 원천 무효! 가자, 청와대로!"/VoP (*)] this weekend (Sunday) once again a rally/demo, organized by migrant workers will take place in downtown Seoul:

STOP CRACKDOWN!!

SHUT DOWN ALL IMMIGRATION

DETENTION CENTERS!

HUMAN AND LABOR RIGHTS FOR

ALL MIGRANT WORKERS!

PROTEST RALLY

SUNDAY, 4.01, 2 pm

Seoul Stn.

여수외국인보호소 화채 참사 희생자 49재
미등록 이주노동자 단속 중단! 반인권적 보호소 폐쇄! 공동 행동의 날

일시 : 4월 1일 (일) 오후 2시
장소 : 서울역
주최 : 여수외국인보호소 화재 참사 공동대책위원회

For more informations:

☞ MTU

☞ 여수보호소 화재참사 공대위

Related article:

☞ In undocumented worker debate.. (Hankyoreh, 3.31)

* "4월 1일 저녁 7시, 모이자 서울시청 앞으로"  (VoP, 3.31)

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"SHUT DOWN ALL IMMIGRATION

DETENTION CENTERS!"

Under that motto yesterday afternoon in downtown Seoul a (really) small migrant workers' rally took place. It was organized by MTU and many - the issue of migrants in S.K. supporting - groups, organizations and political parties (although unfortunately only a minority of them finally joined actively the rally).

3월 18일 오후 3시 청계천 열린광장에서 '여수 외국인 '보호소' 화재참사 책임회피·진상왜곡 정부규탄대회'가 열렸다. 민주노총 서울/경기 본부, 민주노동당, 민주노동당 서울시당, 이주노동자노동조합, 사회진보연대, 다함께 등 여러 단체에서 이 집회에 참가했다.
발언자들은 정부가 여수화재 참사를 미등록 이주노동자의 방화로 규정짓고, 몇푼의 돈과 솜방망이 책임자 처벌로 사태를 무마하려는 것에 분노하며 강제추방중단과 이주노동자 합법화의 필요성을 주장했다.
집회가 끝난 뒤 참가자들은 청계광장을 지나는 시민들에게 리플릿 반포와 서명, 모금을 받는 캠페인을 진행했다.
여수 화재참사 대책위에서는 참사 49일 째가 되는 오는 4월 1일에 대규모 집회를 개최할 예정이다. (source: All Together/다함께) 

For more about the event (mainly pics) please check out following:

☞ 여수 보호소 화재참사 진상왜곡, 책임회피, 정부규탄대회

☞ 3.18 여수보호소 참사 규탄대회 및 선전전 진행

☞ 여수 외국인 '보호소' 화재참사 책임회피·진상왜곡 정부규탄대회

"In Seoul on March 18, foreign workers protest the results of a

police investigation into a February 11 fire at an immigration

detention center in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, which killed

nine foreigners. The protesters said that the police ruling, which

was that a foreign worker started the blaze, was based on

insufficient evidence, and that officials responsible for the

conditions at the Yeosu detention center should be punished

for their role in the tragedy." (Hankyoreh, 3.19)

***** 

A (not really) related article about the migrant workers' issue in S.K. you can read here:

☞ Illegal Immigrants to Get Help Returning Home (Korea Times, 3.19)

(BTW.. undocumented migrant workers don't want "returning home"! They just want to get a legal status in S.K. and the possibility to earn enough money to feed their families in their home countries! Simply they want/need - and struggle for - WORK VISA!!) 

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Following impressive documentary about last Sunday's migrant workers' rally/demonstration was produced by MWTV (THANX a lot, dear colleagues!!).

지난 2월 25일 2시 서울역 광장에서는 여수 화재 사건에 대한 추모제 와 항의 집회가 열렸습니다. 약 천명의 사람들이 참가한 이번 집회에서는 많은 이주노동자들이 거리로 나와 안타까운 심정들을 직접 이야기 했습니다.

그간 한국 정부는 가족들의 허락도 맡지 않고 시체를 부검하고, 병원에 있는 부상자들에게 수갑을 채우며, 현장에 있던 정신적인 안정이 필요한 이주노동자들을 다른 보호소로 옮기고 강제출국시키는 등 사건을 수습하는 과정에서 이해할 수 없는 행동들을 해 왔습니다.

행사에 참여한 많은 이주노동자와 한국인은 이번 여수 사건이  전체 미등록 이주노동자의 문제를 보여주는 심각한 사건이라며 이주노동자의 인권 개선을 요구했습니다.

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Yesterday I wrote that the S.K. gov't/police had warned against "any anti-government protest".. And actually yesterday's migrant workers demo was blocked and attacked near Namdae-mun by large forces of the infamous riot cops (unit 1001!! for example). Actually I read this in some Korean articles, but I wasn't sure if I interpreted it well. Today, watching the latest documentaries by comrade "Hong Gil-dong.."(숲속홍길동同志) I found out that my "interpratation" wasn't so wrong.. (aeh, until now there is NO independent English report about y'day's demo!!)

Related:

☞ 2.25 여수참사규탄 서울집회..(2)

☞ [225서울역] 이주노동자 집회에 다녀와서

☞ 경찰 통제로 얼룩진 여수참사추모대회

BTW:

Special THANX to 절거민同志 for their yesterday's active solidarity!!

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 2.25, SEOUL: MASS PROTEST 

BY MIGRANT WORKERS

Despite "strong warnings" by the S.K. ruling class, i.e. the police, against "any anti-government protests, particularly against the murders in Yeosu Immigration Detention Center" (VoP, 2.24) today between 500 (according to the police/Yonhap) and 1000 (Pressian) migrant workers and many Korean supporters - student activists, KCTU members and activists of several left political organisations - took the streets of Seoul. The demonstrators protested against the S.K. government's policy of discrimination and criminalisation, manhunt, mass detention and deportation of "un-documented" migrant workers.

Well, I hope, that sooner or later I'll get more infos about the demonstration in English! Right now I found only reports about it in Korean (Sorry!!):

☞ 경찰, 이주노동자들에게 또 폭력 (VoP)

☞ "9명 죽었는데 항의조차 못하다니" (OhmyNews)

☞ 불타버린 '코리안드림'…서울역서 집회 (Pressian)

☞ 여수화재참사 희생자 추모 및 정부규탄집회 열려 (Migrantsinkorea.net)

☞ 죽음으로 완성되는 코리아 드림? (OhmyNews, video report)

☞ 외국인 노동자와 경찰 도심서 충돌 (Yonhap)

☞ Apology demanded (JoongAng Daily)

PS:

Today on MTU's freeboard a "korean" left following message:

"if you have complaint to our present, go back to your country and never come back to south korea again.
you have to thanks to korea, because you are in poverty and korea provid job , you earnd money much
but you blame korea present
we our korean never want for you to come and work in korea
go back to your country
we hate you
if you had not came to our country ,recent fire at Yeosu Detention Center was never happende
you are illegal migrants worker"

NO COMMENT (..du verkackte Arschgeige)!!

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☞ 이주노동자 노동조합/MTU