Comments on: Illegal aliens potential terrorists? http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/ Korea... in Blog Format Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:46:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: makhno http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/#comment-6928 makhno Tue, 05 Oct 2004 21:07:59 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1120#comment-6928 I actually know some of the people in that photo, and know many of the people involved in the Myeongdong sit-in. These people have been living in tents in the Myeongdong Cathedral's driveway for just under 11 months now, and believe me, the 'authorities' didn't just become aware of what was going on there recently. The Equality Trade Union - Migrant's Branch (ETU-MB) has been harassed by the government for a long time now, and well before the current sit-in began. They've been spying on these people by listening in on their cell-phones (and using the info to arrest people when they know they'll be alone), following them around at every demo they've organized (no surprise, of course). One sit-in leader was snatched off the street in February and 4 hours later was in a detention centre in Yeosu, which should give some indication of how seriously they take these protests. The migrant workers are supposed to be pliant, cheap, easily manipulated labor - they aren't supposed to know that they have rights, and they aren't supposed to organize themselves. Last December, the Korean government deported 2 migrant workers (one of them had been one of the main organizers, the other, a 17 year old) to Bangladesh and told the Bangladesh government that they were a threat, so they were immediately arrested under an anti-terrorist law there. In reading stories of North Korean refugees hiding in China, I found there to be some parallels with migrant workers here during the crackdowns. Migrants often run and hide in the mountains during crackdowns, at least 9 have committed suicide rather than return home (usually because they owe large amounts of money which were needed to bribe the Korean agents to get the visa to come here in the first place), the government fines businesses that 'harbor' them, and as mentioned above, some may be arrested once deported to their home countries. The idea that members of the ETU-MB would team up with foreign terrorists is patently rediculous. This is just a convenient excuse to tar them and justify more arrests and deportations. And it's also pointless - as they've overstayed their visas, they are all considered to be here illegally - so they can be arrested and deported. There's no need to criminalize people you can just deport anyways. It's an older article, but there's more info on migrants in Korea and the ETU-MB here: <a href="http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=44&ItemID=4720" rel="nofollow">http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=44&ItemID=4720</a> I actually know some of the people in that photo, and know many of the people involved in the Myeongdong sit-in. These people have been living in tents in the Myeongdong Cathedral’s driveway for just under 11 months now, and believe me, the ‘authorities’ didn’t just become aware of what was going on there recently. The Equality Trade Union - Migrant’s Branch (ETU-MB) has been harassed by the government for a long time now, and well before the current sit-in began. They’ve been spying on these people by listening in on their cell-phones (and using the info to arrest people when they know they’ll be alone), following them around at every demo they’ve organized (no surprise, of course). One sit-in leader was snatched off the street in February and 4 hours later was in a detention centre in Yeosu, which should give some indication of how seriously they take these protests. The migrant workers are supposed to be pliant, cheap, easily manipulated labor - they aren’t supposed to know that they have rights, and they aren’t supposed to organize themselves.
Last December, the Korean government deported 2 migrant workers (one of them had been one of the main organizers, the other, a 17 year old) to Bangladesh and told the Bangladesh government that they were a threat, so they were immediately arrested under an anti-terrorist law there.
In reading stories of North Korean refugees hiding in China, I found there to be some parallels with migrant workers here during the crackdowns. Migrants often run and hide in the mountains during crackdowns, at least 9 have committed suicide rather than return home (usually because they owe large amounts of money which were needed to bribe the Korean agents to get the visa to come here in the first place), the government fines businesses that ‘harbor’ them, and as mentioned above, some may be arrested once deported to their home countries.
The idea that members of the ETU-MB would team up with foreign terrorists is patently rediculous. This is just a convenient excuse to tar them and justify more arrests and deportations. And it’s also pointless - as they’ve overstayed their visas, they are all considered to be here illegally - so they can be arrested and deported. There’s no need to criminalize people you can just deport anyways.

It’s an older article, but there’s more info on migrants in Korea and the ETU-MB here:
http://www.zmag.org/content/sh.....temID=4720

]]> By: Mac Pac http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/#comment-6927 Mac Pac Tue, 05 Oct 2004 00:55:09 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1120#comment-6927 Good! Korea needs to get these people out of their country and punish those that brought them in and gave them work. Good! Korea needs to get these people out of their country and punish those that brought them in and gave them work.

]]> By: Zdunk http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/#comment-6926 Zdunk Mon, 04 Oct 2004 20:09:19 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1120#comment-6926 Your last line "Outside the scope of anti-Korean activities are protests over simple rights issues like unpaid wages and improvements of human rights at the workplace"...well, it's open to interpretation, isn't it? One of the definitions of "anti-Korean activities" listed is "stressing the negative aspects of Korea". It's easy to imagine some ajosshi bureaucrat deciding that 3D workers involved in bringing the unpaid wages issue to the public's attention are engaged in "anti-Korean activity". Especially with some money in the pocket from the factory owner not paying the wages... My God! 'Stressing the negative aspects of Korea' !! Is the Korean blogosphere safe from mass deportation? ;) Your last line “Outside the scope of anti-Korean activities are protests over simple rights issues like unpaid wages and improvements of human rights at the workplace”…well, it’s open to interpretation, isn’t it?

One of the definitions of “anti-Korean activities” listed is “stressing the negative aspects of Korea”. It’s easy to imagine some ajosshi bureaucrat deciding that 3D workers involved in bringing the unpaid wages issue to the public’s attention are engaged in “anti-Korean activity”. Especially with some money in the pocket from the factory owner not paying the wages…

My God! ‘Stressing the negative aspects of Korea’ !! Is the Korean blogosphere safe from mass deportation? ;)

]]> By: Kimbob http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/#comment-6925 Kimbob Mon, 04 Oct 2004 11:52:07 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1120#comment-6925 I don't like what this maybe leading up to. A witch hunt against 3-D workers to crack down on their demands for a fair labor system. Not good. I don’t like what this maybe leading up to. A witch hunt against 3-D workers to crack down on their demands for a fair labor system. Not good.

]]> By: oranckay http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/#comment-6924 oranckay Mon, 04 Oct 2004 11:40:22 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1120#comment-6924 RE: "During the demonstration, protestors shouted slogans like ?€œWe totally refuse to leave Korea on our own,?€? ?€œOverthrow the government,?€? and ?€œWe oppose the Iraq deployment.?€?" In Korean that's ?€œ????§??¶œ??­ ?????´ ?±°?¶€, ????¶Œ??€???, ??´??¼??? ?ŒŒ?³‘?°??Œ€". It would be worth nothing that ????¶Œ is generally used to refer to a specific government or administration, as in "the Roh government," and not the state, as in Republic of Korea. It would also be worth noting that the Grand National Party has also talked about taking down the ????¶Œ. <a href="http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSD&office_id=038&article_id=0000208763&section_id=100&menu_id=100" rel="nofollow">http://news.naver.com/news/read.php?mode=LSD&office_id=038&article_id=0000208763&section_id=100&menu_id=100</a> RE: “During the demonstration, protestors shouted slogans like ?€œWe totally refuse to leave Korea on our own,?€? ?€œOverthrow the government,?€? and ?€œWe oppose the Iraq deployment.?€?”

In Korean that’s ?€œ????§??¶œ??­ ?????´ ?±°?¶€, ????¶Œ??€???, ??´??¼??? ?ŒŒ?³‘?°??Œ€”.

It would be worth nothing that ????¶Œ is generally used to refer to a specific government or administration, as in “the Roh government,” and not the state, as in Republic of Korea.

It would also be worth noting that the Grand National Party has also talked about taking down the ????¶Œ.
http://news.naver.com/news/rea.....enu_id=100

]]> By: Scott-in-Japan http://www.rjkoehler.com/2004/10/04/illegal-aliens-potential-terrorists/#comment-6923 Scott-in-Japan Mon, 04 Oct 2004 10:38:53 +0000 http://rjkoehler.com/?p=1120#comment-6923 The logical answer is to deport the illegals. But, alas, even the USA hasn't figured that one out yet. The logical answer is to deport the illegals. But, alas, even the USA hasn’t figured that one out yet.

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