[Stop-traffic] Urgent Action/Korea: Two Migrant workers and members of the KCTU Deported

Tue Jan 6 11:32:02 2004

Two Migrant workers and members of the KCTU Deported

On the 30th of December last year, 2 migrant workers were deported from
Korea by immigration officials and the Ministry of Law. M. BIDDUTH and M.
ZAMAL from Bangladesh, who are also members of the Korean Confederation of
Trade Union(KCTU)'s Equality Trade Union Migrant Branch, had been detained
by the police since the 26th of October, when they were taken by police
while participating in the National Irregular Worker's Rally. They had
participated with other migrant workers to demand the legalization of all
migrant worker and a withdrawal of the government's plans to deport
unregistered migrant workers starting in November, It was at this lawful
rally that Lee Yong-Seok, also an irregular worker that is a member of the
KCTU, took his life by self-immolation while calling for the end of
discrimination against irregular/contingent workers.

BIDDUTH and ZAMAL were violently taken into detention by dozens of policemen
wielding truncheons and shields and have not been allowed contact with the
outside ever since. They have been subjected to several human-rights
violations during the process, having their clothes taken off immediately
after they were taken and then being refused consultation with lawyers or
friends for the duration of their detainment. They had been held for over 60
days in such conditions, and the Ministry of Law is said to have violated
all rules and regulations in getting identification documents for the two
workers from the Bangladesh embassy in Seoul, which does not issue them
unless the subject requests them in person. Employees at the Ministry also
threatened the Bangladesh embassy that other nationals would face
"disadvantages" if the embassy failed to comply. What is even more serious
is that the Ministry of Law has pursued legal punishment for the two workers
from the Bangladesh government. This is why two immigration officials
accompanied the two men when they were deported from Korea, which is a
practice reserved for criminals.

All this happened while the Equality Trade Union had been taking all
conceivable measures to reverse the situation. It has taken various legal
actions to stop the deportation, issued statements and protest letters, held
demonstrations, and organized organizations within and outside Korea to
protest the actions by the Ministry of Law and the government. Meanwhile,
migrant workers have been holding a sit-in demonstration at various sites
across the nation after the November deadline in which the government
planned to deport all unregistered migrant workers. The sit-in struggle is
now entering its 7th week. Tens of thousands of migrant workers remain in
hiding across the country.

The KCTU has called for the end to the brutal crackdown and the forced
deportation of migrant workers, and have demanded that all migrant workers
be legalized. They have set out a 'labor permit program' instead of the
current 'employment permit program' that the government has
institutionalized. (refer to the KCTU homepage at www.kctu.org
<http://www.kctu.org/>  for more information)

Family members of the two men have been waiting for their arrival at the
airport in Bangladesh, without any news of their whereabouts or their
safety. They were scheduled to arrive in the early morning of the first, but
as of the night of the 3rd, have not been located.

The 2nd day of January was also the wedding day for Bidduth's sister.

Stop the Crackdown on Migrant Workers!
Stop Forced Deportation and Legalize All Migrants Workers!
Guarantee the Right of Demonstration!

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU)

Lee Changgeun
International Director
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
5fl. Daeyoung Bldg. 139 Youngdeungpo-2-Ga
Youngdeungpo-Ku, Seoul 150-982 Korea
Tel: ++82 2 2636-0165
Fax: ++82 2 2635-1134
Email: inter@kctu.org

-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
    [?????? ???] http://www.jinbo.net
-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
?????? ??? http://list.jinbo.net ?? '???????'? ???
?? ? ? ? ????.
???????? ?????? ?????: http://list.jinbo.net/manual/