Welcome to BASE21

A Proclamation against ASEM in the Day for Seoul Action

When the 2nd ASEM conference was held on the day of October 20th, the police used excessive force repeatedly on demonstrators who participated in the 'Anti-ASEM' rally in Kangnam, Seoul. The demonstrators against Neo-liberalism and ASEM, were met and suppressed, on the morning of the 20th by riot police, who were equipped with long clubs and shields. The wounded demonstrators, including Mr. Honghyoen Bae, the head of the Human Rights Coalition for Homosexuals, gathered together in the aftermath of the demonstration, at Bangbang intersection near the vicinity of the Kangnam Subway Station.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, the five thousands demonstrators were quickly surrounded by roughly two thousand policemen dispatched to protect 15 companies in the vicinity of the demonstration against Neo-liberalism and ASEM. The demonstrators contended, that though ASEM originally was conceived for the renewal for the Eurasian region from the monolithic hegemony of Pax Americana, it is in reality a duplicate of the Neo-liberalism model of the United States, and the life of the people in Third World Countries and ASEMs members, is ruined as it only addresses the importance of profit and capital earnings.

With truncheon, long club, and shield in their hands, the police began to suppress the increasing number demonstrators who were estimated to total about ten thousands people at 11 o'clock, a.m. The police began to corral the demonstrators toward the Kangnam Subway Station. The actions of the police were unnecessarily violent especially when it was revealed that one participant in the demonstration was encircled and beaten viciously by several policemen. In addition to this incident, Mr. Bumhyeon Kim, a reporter for YTN, and Mr. Woosung Kwon, a reporter for the Citizen's News, in the process of gathering information on Anti-ASEM movement, were also injured from receiving repeated blows from the clubbing and kicking of police officers.

The demonstrators later moved to Olympic Park after finishing the Anti-ASEM rally at the Kangnam Subway Station at noon. The conference entitled, 'The Day for Seoul Action against ASEM 2000' was held in Olympic Park at 3 o'clock, p.m. Stating that, the government has ignominiously abused the law concerning free assembly and demonstration. It was stated falsely everywhere near the ASEM Conventional Center where the conference was held and how the government responded to the demonstrations and demonstrators is a prime example. Mr. Byeongho Dan, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, charged that, It is a manifest violation to the freedom of assembly and association, by dint of the Constitutional Law that prescribed it as a basic right.

After finishing the Anti-ASEM rally in Olympic Park, the participants marched to the Chamsil Sports Complex, and stating, Our will against ASEM will make the world re-evaluate the meaning of our demonstration to the fullest extent." The demonstrators stood face to face with the police until they dispersed voluntarily at 6:30 p.m.

In addition to the demonstration by the Anti-ASEM movement, the participants in The Day for Seoul Action, made a proclamation against ASEM and Neo-liberalism as follows: The right to work for laborers, regardless of their sexuality, nationality and status, must be secured, and the restoration process that distort and maltreat the right to work for laborers needs to be reassessed. When development is in progress, the opinions of residents in that area should be reflected. An immediate stop to all negotiations, additional trade problems, and the liberalization of investments of the ASEM member countries is also called for. Lastly, to abolish the existence of the WTO and the IMF, and to build a fundamental democratization is required. [Reported by Bosun Shim]

SOURCE : KOREA HUMAN RIGHTS DAILY NEWS Oct 21th, 2000.