Welcome to BASE21

Dear Mr. President,

Greetings!

I/we are writing this letter to express our concern on the current move of your administration to purge out the undocumented migrants and witch hunting to union members of the Equality Trade Union- Migrants Branch and treating migrant workers as criminals. It came to our attention that the intensive and extensive crackdown has commenced placing the already suffering migrants in a more precarious situation as they have been checked, intimidated, arrested and violently being hounded to detention centers.

These migrants are forced to work abroad because of the worsening economic situation in their own homeland and to cope with the basic needs of their family. While in Korea, they contribute in the economy through the availability of their cheap labor services and as consumers.

We strongly express concern on the recent arrest of Mr. Mohammad Bidduth and Mr. Kabir Uddin. Both of them are members of the Equality Trade Union-Migrants Branch who took part in the sit-in struggle and advocating for migrants rights and calling for legalization in Korea. Some 40 police and immigration personnel stormed their houses in Masok, Seongseng Industrial area at around 6:00 in the morning. They were arrested along with the 11 other Bangladeshi and were handcuffed and was brought to the Police station. After Identifying Mr. Uddin and Mr Bidduth. The two of them were brought to the immigration detention center where they were held up to now.

Mr. Uddin and Bidduth are not criminals. They are advocates of Justice for migrants and for the assertion of their rights. They are the proponent of the petition case to the Korean Commission on Human Rights regarding the freedom of expression and rights to unionize. We demand for their immediate release

In addition, we are very alarmed with reports of harassment, continued arrest and threats to migrants all over, either unregistered and registered. There is now an ongoing witch hunting especially those migrants who participated in the democratic assertion of migrants rights in Korea and who are involved in union activities. The suppression of the rights of the migrants to express like Mr. Bidduth and Mr. Uddin did is a clear violation of the fundamental human rights that prep-supposes the freedom of speech.

It is in this regard we demand for your immediate action. We reiterate our demand to immediately release Mr. Uddin and Bidduth. Likewise we demand your government to take speedy action wherein undocumented migrants be given a legal status, to stop the suppression of their rights to express, and stop the series of arrest of undocumented migrants and instead implement a Genuine Legalization program that can be availed by migrants with undocumented status so that their rights as workers and contribution to Korean economy will be recognized.

We hope for your immediate and timely action in this regard.

Respectfully yours,

Sign your Name:

(Sign your Name and send the email to the President of Korea and forward a copy to: vmigrant@jinbo.net / migrant@jinbo.net