Welcome to BASE21

TORONTO. 09.16.02
Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers in Korea are currently facing severe repression, including mass arrests and deportations, by government forces. Since September 1, between 50-100 migrant workers are arrested daily. Migrant workers are being played as scapegoat's for the disastrous impacts of the government's neo-liberal restructuring. Most arrests have taken place in areas where migrant workers' associations, the Equality Trade Union-Migrant's Branch (ETU-MB) and Joint Committee for Migrants in Korea (JCMK), have been most active. Two migrant workers from Bangladesh, Kabir Uddin Mohammed Bidduth have been targeted for helping to organize a march of 1500 migrant workers in Seoul on April 7. Kabir and Bidduth, who was beaten during interrogation, are still in custody and facing deporation. The government is clearly attempting to break migrant workers' resistance and their union.

The ETU-MB put out an international call for help in response to these brutal situations. The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) responded with a picket in front of the Toronto office of Korean Air. Rather than holding an action outside the Korean Consulate, where officials might be shielded from the demonstration, we decided to adversely impact the Korean government's primary concern, the financial operations of a major Korean company. Leaflets were distributed to passersby giving them information about the conditions facing migrant workers. After half-an-hour, the office manager came out to tell us that our picket was interfering with business. One of the organizers told him that his concerns would be properly directed to the President, Kim Dae Jung. Not satisfied with the response, police were called. Recognizing that this must be only our first action to demand that arrests and deportations be stopped, we decided to take down our picket. Another action will follow at a similarly appropriate corporate or government site. This Thursday the entire OCAP Radio show was given to a report on the situation facing migrant workers and to the need for international solidarity. Free the migrant workers. No worker is illegal. "Trainees" are workers and deserve full rights regardless of national origin.