CINA

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12.22, MTU's English official statement:

 

VICTORY!! THE OCCUPATION OF NHRC IS OVER!

 

Yesterday, December 21st, after an intense round of negotations with the
Chief of the Korean National Human Rights Commission, the Migrants' Trade
Union of Korea officially ended their 17 day occupation of the Korean
National Human Rights Office. They started their occupation demanding the
release of their union president, Anwar Hossain, and agreed to leave only
after securing the following from the KNRHC:

First, the KNHRC has promised officially to back the MTU as a legtimate
and legal trade union in Korea. To this end, they will lobby the Korean
government to register the MTU as an official trade union, thus
guaranteeing to the MTU the three most basic labor rights: the right form
union, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike. Since
its inception, the Korean government has deemed the MTU an illegal
organization because its member are living in Korea without a working
visa.

Second, the KNHRC as agreed to make a commission on Migrants' Rights- an
official branch of the human rights office devoted soley to migrants'
issues. In this commission, migrant workers will have representation and
direct input into the KNHRC's statements and policies on migrant workers
throught the MTU.

Though they did not secure the release of Anwar, they achieved a great
victory for their union. The MTU thanks everyone for the support they
have given over the last 17 days. Your letters and solidarity statements
helped make this victory possible. Please continue to send letters to the
Minister of Justice and demand the release of our union president, Anwar
Hossain.

Let's fight together!

 

 

 

 

More you can read here in Korean

 

Ohmynews:

http://www.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=300215 

Migrant Workers Broadcasting:

http://www.migrantsinkorea.net/webbs/view.php?board=mignews&id=155

 

 

And here the text of MTU's official statement:

 

이주노조의 요구사항

1. 이주노조에서는 아노와르의 석방을 위하여 최선을 다할 것이므로 이에 관심과 지원요청
   = 재판기간 동안 재진정 및 G1비자 신청 등 예

2. 아노아르 보호해제진정사건에 대한 국가인권위의 결정 관련하여 해명 및 사과

3. 이주노동자들의 노조활동 관련 표적단속에 따른 인권침해적 사례의 재발방지를 위해 향후 올바른 결정으로 노력해줄 것
  - 현재 이주노조 위원장 직무대행인 샤킬의 경우 산재를 당하여 치료 중으로 G1비자 연장신청을 하였으나 출입국관리사무소에서는 이주노조 활동을 이유로 연장신청에 대해 아무런 결정을 내리지 않고 있는 상태임.

4. 이주노동자들에 대한 단속과정에서 인권침해가 지속적으로 발생하고 있는 현실을 감안하여 “이주노동자 특별위원회”를 구성하여 줄 것을 요청함.

5. 인권위에서 이주노동자들에 대한 법제도 개선 및 정책 개발시 이주노조의 의견을 직접 수렴해줄 것을 요청함.
   - 예를 들면 인권위에서 이주노동자 관련 세미나 토론회 개최시 이주노조에게도 의견개진기회를 부여하는 등

2005년 12월 20일 
서울경기인천이주노동자노동조합

------------------------------

 

 

PS.:

 

Just few minutes after I published this I had a short discussion with a friend... And we came to the result, that this must not mean a victory. It just might mean that NHRC wanna have their calmness, especially during the coming "holiday season". Perhaps NHRC's aim was just to calm down MTU...

 

And just some minutes later I got following message from a Korean: "It's stupid. They left the NHRC offices for a bunch of empty promises. Nothing will come of that shit. Wasn't the first and most important objective to get Anwar out of jail? Migrant worker deep in the 3D biz" Perhaps she/he is right...! But it would be much more useful if we could create an open discussion about it!!??

 

on 12.23 a migrant worker activist wrote this:

I dont thimk that its MTU victory.
It was nothing.
Just sitting there no news coverage, what we get?
Did MTU organize new MW?
What they do?
Just they follow KCTU?
Is it everything?
What we should do?
MW (migrant workers) they need leading their strugglle, but they follow KCTU & KDLP.
I like & Love MTU but i think that they should change their struggle policy.
Its not the time for going street, its the real time for visit & organize our friends.

 

 

Actually I'm still wondering why MTU made until now no official statement in other news boards, except in their own home page...

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Comrade Radhika, Mok-dong

Detention Center, Dec. 12.

 

BUT YESTERDAY THEY ALREADY

DEPORTED HER..

 

 

 

 

사진: 숲속홍길동 同志

www.nodong.com/hong

 

 

 

 

2005년 12월 13일 라디카 동지가 네팔로 떠났습니다.
스스로 간 것이 아니기에 많은 동지들이 마음 아파하고 있습니다.
지난 8일 단속, 연행되어 현재 한국땅의 차가운 현실과 혹한을 뒤로 하고
10여년 간의 한국 생활을 가슴에 담은 채 떠나갔습니다.

 

More about it here:

http://www.nodong.com/zero/view.php?id=sokbo&page=1&sn1=&divpage=2&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=7091

 

More about comrade Radhika you can read/see/watch here:

http://memolog.blog.naver.com/nosugaradded/151

http://blog.jinbo.net/CINA/?cid=11&pid=377

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ONE WEEK OCCUPATION OF NHRC

 

 

 

Saturday was day 6 of the occupation of the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and the 57th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This morning (12.10) at about 10 am, the Korean government held ceremonies to commemorate the annivesary. In the ceremonies, the Minister of Justice, Chan Cheon-bae, gave awards to organizations and individuals who promote human rights for all. As part of their cultural program, they also had migrant workers sing traditional songs from their home countries and participate in the ceremonies.

 

 

In order to point out their hypocrisy, MTU members and some 60 supporters joined the ceremony to protest the the NHRC's decision to support the Immigration Department's unlawful detention of Anwar Hossain, MTU's president, the crackdown on undocumented migrant workers, the recent arrest of yet another MTU leader, and the Korean government's unwillingness to grant basic working rights to migrant workers. One demonstrator was ejected peaceably from the ceremony for shouting, "Stop Crackdown!" The other protesters held signs reading, "Stop ignoring migrant workers!" and "Recognize Migrant Workers' Rights!"

 

 

"Last night (Sat., 12.10) we went to a program at Hanyang University that was organized by (or maybe for?) the mothers of martyrs from the dictatorship era. This program was mainly entertainment, but at the end, we got to give a really quick little speech explaining who we are and what the demands are. I say "we" because I was paraded up on stage with the real migrant workers. It was good exposure for MTU because there were a couple of thousand people there, but it wasn't anything "action" oriented. I rarely know what we are going to do ahead of time- I just follow along and do what I'm told. It's still really difficult to get questions answered.", one comrade reported later in the following morning.

 

About yesterday, Sunday, 12.11, following was reported from the spot:

 

"Today folks are out in Incheon, Dongdaemun and elsewhere organizing and just a few of us are holding down the fort at the office. The nights here are packed with people and during the day there are constantly people coming and going. It's nearly impossible to sleep at night because of all of the meetings that can't happen during the day, so folks are looking a little tired and catching naps whenever and wherever they can. Still though, everyone seems to be holding up well. Spirits are high even though they are sometimes tense and the Korean government seems to be getting a little nervous about how much press we are generating. We were on KBS two or three separate times yesterday- first the protest at the human rights celebration and then a really long piece on Radhika getting deported and a third really emotional piece about two men from Bangladesh who lost fingers in industrial accidents here and can't go back home for the shame of no longer being able to provide for their families. It was a good media day, even if 2/3 of the reasons for being on the news really sucked."

 

 

Radhika is still in Mok-dong Detention Center, it was reported yersterday (12.11). It looks like she'll be there until the 14^th or 15^th, but she really wants to go home. She said that being a femaledetainee is really humiliating. They have cameras in their rooms, thebathrooms, everywhere so they have absolutely no privacy. It sounds like she is having a really awful time.

And as I remember, and I remember very well, Mok-dong Detention Center is just a rat hole. If you must stay there longer than few days you can become easily complete crazy. This is definitely not a place for human beings!!!

 

 

A Korean report about Saturday you can read here:

http://www.nodong.com/zero/view.php?id=sokbo&page=1&sn1=&divpage=2&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=7083

 

International Solidarity

 

The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) has posted an appeal for solidarity with MTU’s struggle. The entire text you can read here:
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=2504&view_records=1&ww=1&en=1

 

Répression du MTU (by Inprecor, France, but it was already written last Oct.)

Le combat pour le droit d’organisation des migrants est particulièrement dur, car il est plus difficile à populariser que celui des fonctionnaires. Le Syndicat des migrants (MTU), lui aussi adhérent à la KCTU, a été formé le 24 avril 2005. Il lutte pour la légalisation des travailleurs sans papiers et le droit du travail dans l’entreprise. Il en appelle à la solidarité internationale et propose d’échanger expériences et informations sur la façon dont la défense des immigrés est assurée dans divers pays. ...

Please read (if you understand French language...^^) more here:

http://www.inprecor.org/510/Coree_pierrerousset.htm

 

 

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12.8: COMRADE RADHIKA WAS ARRESTED

BY IMMIGRATION COPS!

 

Yesterday, 12.8, about 8:30pm, Radhika Subbha from Nepal, a key activist in the Migrant Workers Trade Union (MTU) was arrested in a crackdown at Uijeongbu Station. Radhika is the main organizer of female migrant workers in S. Korea and has been involved in the struggle for migrants rights for several years. Last year, she participated in the sit-in struggle at Myeong Dong Cathedral and went on a 30 day hunger strike to protest against the kidnapping of Samar Thapa, the then chairperson of ETU-MB's (Equality Trade Union - Migrants' Branch) Emergency Struggle Committee and to oppose the implementation of Korea's regressive and racist immigration law, EPS (Employment Permit System).

Radhika is also one of our best co-workers in MWTV (Migrant Workers TV). 

Of course she also participated in the current occupation of the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) in Seoul.

 

Radhika was traveling, when she was arrested, to Uijeongbu to help a friend obtain a job.

 

Now she is arrested in Mok-dong Deportation Center.

Especially after her 30-days hunger strike her health conditions are very bad.

You can visit her tomorrow, Saturday, until am 11:30 in Mok-dong. 

Give her POWER thru the bars!!! 

 

2004, comrade Radhika during the hunger strike

This year, Radhika in the TV studio

 

 

Yesterday (local time) after I got the information about her I was checking the entire night the web about news about her in Korean, but I wasn't able to find something... not on MTU, not on MW Broadcasting.. nowhere.

Today in the morning (CET), like usual, I just was checking my ...'s blog and surprisingly I found this (very detailed and with a lot of background..고맙습니다!!) about Radhika in Korean:

 

 

Comrade Radhika on a rally 2005.8.17

on Yeouido, near the National Assembly

 

Source: 숲속홍길동同志

www.nodong.com/hong

 

 

MTU protest banners at the NHRC, downtown Seoul

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Actually there are not really news (it's really hard to get informations from MTU activists), but here is a short report about the daily life/struggle in the occupied office of the National Human Right Commission, I got from a friend (http://blog.jinbo.net/dopehead/ ):

 

Yesterday the migrants workers who are occupying the NHRC and their Korean comrades were busy getting the word out and preparing for propaganda materials.
Their daily routine is like that: morning campaign from 8 am to 10 am, neigborhood campaign near the city hall from noon to 2 pm, silent protest in front of the Commissioner's office from 8 am to 10 am, and noon to 2 pm, participation in solidarity demonstration from 2pm to 5pm, struggle sharing meeting from 8pm to 9pm...
Lots of Korean groups and activists join the daily struggle and are sharing the meetings.
The next big thing is December 18 the international migrant workers day rally.
It's gonna be huge this year!

 

 

 

The report about the beginning of the occupation, and other things you can read here:

http://www.indymedia.no/newswire/display/19580/index.php

 

Here you can read a interview (in Korean) with Shakil, the present chairperson of MTU, in Minjung-ui Sori:

http://www.voiceofpeople.org/new/2005120733766.html

 

Here a kind of updated daily news/summary (in Korean):

http://www.migrantsinkorea.net/webbs/view.php?board=mignews&id=142

 

Here a text from KCTU:

http://www.nodong.org/bbs/view.php?id=bodo&no=3441

 

Here an article from the other side of the barricade (Hankook Ilbo/한국일보, Korean):

http://migrant.nodong.net/bbs/view.php?id=bbs_free&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=782

 

Actually even on MTU's web site (http://migrant.nodong.net/) there is no updating... the last contribution is from before yesterday...

 

 

 

 

 

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Mi-anh haeyo... just a little belated...

 

2003.11.15: MIGRANT WORKERS IN

S. KOREA STARTED THE SIT-IN STRIKE...

 

...for more than one year in front of Myeong-dong Cathedral in downtown Seoul, to protest and fight back against the S.K. government's policy of crackdown and mass deportation of migrant workers.

 

The following pictures I took during the first night of the Sit-in struggle.

 

Nearly all the pics about the Sit-in Strike you can see here:

ETU-MB http://migrant.nodong.net/ver2/index_e.html

(-> PDS -> Photo... the Sit-in stuff is beginning on page 48)

   

 

 

 

 

 

LEGALIZE ALL MIGRANT WORKERS

IN S. KOREA AND EVERYWHERE!

FULL HUMAN AND LABOR RIGHTS

FOR MIGRANT WORKERS!

 

LET'S FIGHT TOGETHER FOR A WORLD

WITHOUT EXPLOITATION AND OPPRESSION!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Korean Dream", a.k.a. 코리안 드림

by Yeon Yeong-seok

 

 

 

 

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Yesterday the first time one of our articles in the former (English) home page of ETU-MB got 1,000 hits/readers!

Please check it out here!

 

Actually I really don't know the reason why, but...

 

...축하!!

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The Complete (?) Collection

by "Hong Gil-dong in the Forest"

 

 

"숲속 홍길동"

 

☞ MEMORY

☞ Yeon Yeong-seok, Korean Dream

☞ Comrade Radika on Yeouido, 08.17

☞ 2005.05.14, Anwar was kidnapped

☞ HISTORY... ETU MB rally on Yeouido, 2003.06.1

☞ Still the government is behind us. A KCTU press conference, "joined" by immigration officers..

☞ ETU MB is history, MTU is the future!

☞ "Music video" - a.k.a. video clip - about our struggle..

☞ The beginning of the end of ETU MB

☞ The last rally in MyeongDong, the entire story of our SitIn strike..

☞ 300 days of SitIn strike

☞ A long summary about our SitIn strike

☞ End of April. A visit in Nepal. Samar's message for the comrades in S. Korea

☞... ...also not working anymore...

☞ Agit-prop... ...and please, no comment!!!

☞ The first summary of our SitIn strike

☞... Perhaps the movie is not working...

☞ 100 days of Sit-in struggle

☞ 2.17, the battle in front of Immigration Office...

☞ 2.15, Samar was kidnapped

☞ 04.01.28, migrant workers rally

☞ 73 days of Sit-in strike

☞ On Jan. 7, near the Bangladeshi embassy we'd the first direct confrontation with immigration officers, active supported by riot cop units. We lost our first comrade in that battle.

☞ How we spend New Years eve in 2003

☞ Beside others: Migrant Workers' X-Mas

☞ "STOP CRACKDOWN!" - 22 Days of Sit-in Struggle

☞ 12 days of Sit-in Struggle

☞ Yeon Yeong-seok's performance for us on the second night in Myeong-dong

☞ The first 3 days of Sit-In Struggle in Myeong-dong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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See also this, made by "Hong Gil-dong from the Forest" (숲속홍길동). A very beautiful documentary about our, migrant workers', struggle in the last 2 years.

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Today's (10.26) Korea Times wrote: Migrant Workers Speak Out On-Air By Kim Tong-hyung Staff Reporter Television is often referred to as a window on the world. However, for many of migrant workers in South Korea, who struggle to improve working conditions and social acceptance, that window rarely portrays the realities of their everyday lives. Other than the debates about their socioeconomic status, the lives and culture of Korea’s 400,00 migrant workers have garnered little attention from the news media This lack of interest is surprising, considering the rapid growth of their numbers and their pivotal role in the country’s economy. Now a group of migrant workers and labor-rights activists are pushing for a new television network that intends to portray the daily experiences of foreign workers and immigrants from their own perspective. The creators hope that their television programs will offer a medium for migrant workers to discuss their issues and provide an alternative to the conventional media coverage of foreign labor. ``The mainstream media has been failing to astutely cover the daily experiences and challenges migrant workers face in Korea today. A part of the problems is that migrant workers have limited channels to discuss their issues and create their own voice, which is the main reason why we decided to advance to television,’’ said Minod Moktam, who co-heads the Migrant Workers Television (MWTV), which went on-air April 16. Moktam is also a reporter, commentator and an anchor for the Nepalese news reports for the television network. ``We also want to show Korean viewers the realities of our daily lives, our fight against the government’s deportation policies and our struggles to improve working conditions in the factory and to search for justice in society,’’ said the Nepalese factory worker, who has been living in Korea since 1992. The MWTV provides its programs to local broadcaster RTV, a channel listed on the SkyLife satellite television network. MWTV relies on 15 volunteer workers from several different countries to manage all television programming, including writing, reporting and filming stories and producing and directing programs. The network provides three 60-minute programs per month to RTV, including two news reports and a talk show-format commentary program taking an in-depth look at the latest issues. The news reports are provided in five different languages _ English, Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Burmese and Mongolian. MWTV is planning to add an Indonesian news report sometime next month. ``All of us have our own daily jobs and live in different places whether in Seoul or other cities, so it’s quite challenging to come in every other week and produce the programs. Analyzing news materials and converting them into different languages often becomes laborious considering the limited time that is given to us,’’ he said. MWTV plans to give breadth and depth to its offerings eventually creating programs that cover education, culture and entertainment. The creators are especially high on the potential of the television network’s educational function in helping migrant workers develop their collective identity and social consciousness. ``With Korea’s foreign communities becoming mature, the social challenges they face extends beyond the workplace. We are planning to add cultural and educational programs about different countries in their own languages, which will also help reconnect their children with the culture of their motherland,’’ said Kim Byung-han, a Korean art exhibition planner who is among the directors of the television network. ``We are also discussing ways to make more sophisticated the formats of our current programs and find ways to enhance the participation of the foreign community,’’ he said. However, there seems to be a long and tough road ahead for MWTV to meet such expectations. The television network is running solely on subsidies provided by the state-run Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC), which provides them just 2 million won per month. The financial difficulties make it impossible to hire staff with technical and professional skills in broadcasting, which inevitably hurts the quality and creativity of the on-air programs. With production relying entirely on volunteers, it’s hard to get consistency in reporting and in the directions of the programs. Kim also points out that limited network exposure is a problem, with many migrant workers in low-income brackets not being able to afford satellite television. ``It would be nice for us if we could find a way to get through to cable networks. We aren’t even dreaming about getting help from land-based channels,’’ he said. Perhaps the largest obstacle preventing MWTV from getting on the right track is the vulnerable status of the migrant workers in Korea. According to government statistics, more than half of the Korea’s migrant workers are illegal immigrants, either overstaying their permitted periods or working here with tourists visas. Civil rights advocates argue that unfavorable working conditions and the government’s inflexible immigration policies have been aggravating the situation for migrant workers here. With the government’s recent crackdown on illegal immigrants, it has become more difficult for MWTV to represent people who are forced to live in silence. ``There were several occasions when our reporters or other supporters were arrested on the spot by immigration police and deported. It’s hard to make news programs about migrant workers when you often cannot ask a reporter to leave the house,’’ said Kim. For more information on MWTV, visit its Internet site at www.mwtv.or.kr or call (02) 6366-0621.