We strongly oppose the Korean Government's Plan to Send Troops
Even though our new President Roh Moo-hyun decided to send troops to Iraq, most of the Korean people do not agree with him. We belong to the huge anti-war movement stream which is flowing all around the world-- in Europe, Egypt, the U.S., China, Vietnam and Australia.
Source : Green Korea Report
In South Korea, 700 civic organizations formed "Joint Committee for Peace Not War" and expressed our anti-war position. As time goes by the peace movement is gaining support. We urge the South Korean government and the National Assembly to listen carefully to the voices of peace. On March 28, 2003 the Korean National Assembly postponed the deliberation of a bill for sending troops to Iraq in support of the U.S., which was presented by President Roh Moo-hyun. This was small victory for the Korean peace movement. Organized intense demonstrations, public debates and persuading Assembly members opposing the bill made this possible.
One thing we have to know is this voice against war is not just action from NGOs, labor unions and women groups, but also ordinary civilians vividly participating-- from children to the elderly. On March 26, National Human Rights Commission of Korea released a statement on the War on Iraq. They also opposed war on Iraq and recommended that the Korean government and the National Assembly approach Iraq-related issues by applying the basic principles of anti-war, peace and human rights. This means even the Korean government committee doesn't agree with war on Iraq. On April 2, the National Assembly will decide on the bill for sending troops to Iraq. We warned the National Assembly members who vote for yes, that we will remember you and not vote for you in next year's general election. The number of Assembly Members opposing the bill grew rapidly. Until now (March 27, 2003), 53 National Assembly members (Total 270) signed on against passing the bill.
2003 / -0 / 4-
|
