Subject:MTU Leadership Arrested!!! Urgent Request for Solidarity
<br>
<br>UrgentCall for International Solidarity
<br>
<br>Migrants'Trade Union Leadership Arrested on November 27th.
<br>Stopthe Repression against KCTU affiliate Migrants' Trade Union!
<br>FreePresident Kajiman and other Imprisoned Union Officers!
<br>Stopthe Crackdown and Deportations!
<br>
<br>1.Background
<br>
<br>>On the morning of November 27, MTU President Kajiman, Vice President Raju and
<br>>General Secretary Masum were arrested, in what was clearly a targeted
<br>>crackdown against the leadership of MTU. We, the KCTU and the
<br>>Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union call on the international labor
<br>>and human rights community to do whatever in their power to secure the release
<br>>of the MTU leadership and end this labor repression against MTU.
<br>>
<br>>At roughly 9:20am on November 27, President Kajiman was leaving his home in
<br>>order to attend a plan protest in front of Seoul Immigration Office when he
<br>>was confronted by more than 10 immigration officers who had been hiding in
<br>>front of his house. The immigration officers restrained the Korean activist
<br>>with President Kajiman and then encircled the president. After protesting
<br>>strongly, President Kajiman was eventually arrested, his shoulder hurt in the
<br>>process.
<br>>
<br>>General Secretary Masum also left his house the morning of the 27 in order to
<br>>attend the protest in front of Seoul Immigration. As he walked down the street
<br>>he was passed by four 4 large men who were laughing amongst themselves. He
<br>>originally did not pay attention to them; however, immediately after roughly
<br>>10 immigration officers came up from behind him. He was suddenly surrounded by
<br>>nearly 20 people and despite protesting was eventually arrested.
<br>>
<br>>At roughly the same time Vice President Raju was confronted by 4 immigration
<br>>officers in front of the factory where he worked. Upon seeing the vice
<br>>president, the immigration officers immediately attempted to handcuff him, but
<br>>failed due to his forceful protest. When Vice President Raju demanded to see
<br>>the officers' identification cards, they presented them along with a
<br>>prepared detention order. Despite his protests the vice president was also
<br>>eventually arrested.
<br>>
<br>>Soon after all three men were sent to a detention center in Cheongju, Northern
<br>>Choongjeong Provience, south of the capital Seoul.
<br>>
<br>>2. Clear Labor Repression
<br>>
<br>>The simultaneous arrest of three MTU leaders, is a clearly a targeted attack,
<br>>planed in timing with an intensification of the crackdown against undocumented
<br>>migrants in South Korea. Since the beginning of August of this year, the
<br>>government has carried out a mass-scale crackdown in an attempt to reduce the
<br>>number of undocumented migrants in the country. During this time more than 20
<br>>MTU members and officers have been arrested.
<br>>
<br>>By their own admission, despite this crackdown, the numbers have not
<br>>significantly decreased. Thus, Immigration Control has stepped up the
<br>>crackdown in the last several weeks. At the same time a proposal is being put
<br>>forth to revise South Korea's immigration law to make it completely legal to
<br>>carry out the crackdown continuously without any procedures, such as requiring
<br>>warrants or detention orders, to protect the human rights of the people it
<br>>targets. The government has clearly stepped up its repression against MTU
<br>>leadership at this moment in order to get rid of the force that has been at
<br>>the forefront of the struggle against the crackdown.
<br>>
<br>>3. Call for Solidarity
<br>>
<br>>We, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and affiliate the
<br>>Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union, make an urgent appeal to you to
<br>>do whatever you can to support our struggle to free the arrested union leaders
<br>>and end the barbaric crackdown underway in South Korea.
<br>>
<br>>In particular we are calling for protest letters to be faxed to the Ministry of Justice,
<br>>Minister Jung Seong-Jin: +82-2-503-3532 or +82-2-500-9128.
<br>>
<br>>Please be sure to send a copy to KCTU by +82-2-2635-1134(fax) or e-mail at
<br>>inter@kctu.org
<br>>
<br>>We wish you also to know that KCTU and MTU are by no means deterred by this
<br>>attack. MTU has already selected a temporary leadership and we have already
<br>>planned protests for the next days. We are currently making further
<br>>preparations and will mobilize every means possible to win the release of
<br>>MTU's leaders.
<br>>
<br>>If you have any questions or need more information, please contact:
<br>>
<br>>Lee Changgeun
<br>>International Executive Director
<br>>Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
<br>>Tel.: +82-2-2670-9234 Fax: +82-2-2635-1134
<br>>E-mail: inter@kctu.org Web-site : http://kctu.org
<br>>2nd Fl. Daeyoung Bld., 139 Youngdeungpo-2-ga, Youngdeungpo-ku, Seoul 150-032
<br>>Korea
<br>>
<br>>Liem Wol-san
<br>>International Coordinator
<br>>Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union(MTU)-affiliated to KCTU
<br>>Tel : +82-2--2285-6068
<br>>Email: migrant@jinbo.net Website: http://mtu.or.kr
<br>>
<br>>SAMPLE LETTER
<br>>
<br>>Mr. Jung Seong-Jin
<br>>Minister of Justice
<br>>Seoul, South Korea
<br>>
<br>>Dear Minister Jung,
<br>>
<br>>On the morning of November 27 between 9:00 and 9:30, the president, vice
<br>>president and general secretary of the KCTU affiliate, Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon
<br>>Migrants' Trade Union, were arrested, each in front of his separate home or
<br>>workplace. This event has already received international attention. It is
<br>>clear from the form in which the arrests took place that this was a targeted
<br>>crackdown meant to silence MTU and the opposition struggle it has lead against
<br>>the anti-human rights crackdown being carried out against undocumented
<br>>migrants in South Korea. That this was a meditated act of repression is also
<br>>apparent from the fact that the arrests came at the same time as the South
<br>>Korean Immigration Control Office is stepping up its crackdown and a proposal
<br>>is being put forth the revise immigration law to make it possible to carry out
<br>>the crackdown continuously with complete disregard for the most basic
<br>>procedures to protect human rights.
<br>>
<br>>The arrests of the MTU leadership is a gross violation of human rights and a
<br>>horrendous act of labor repression which targets not only migrant workers and
<br>>MTU but also the KCTU, the 15 million workers it represents and the
<br>>international labor community. As such, we will not remain silent.
<br>>
<br>>We therefore forcefully call on you to meet the following demands:
<br>>-Immediately release President Kajiman, Vice President Raju and General
<br>>Secretary Masum!
<br>>-Stop the targeted crackdown and labor repression against MTU!
<br>>-Stop the crackdown and deportation of undocumented migrant workers!
<br>>
<br>>Signed,
<br>>
<br>>Lee Changgeun
<br>>International Executive Director
<br>>Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
<br>>Tel.: +82-2-2670-9234 Fax: +82-2-2635-1134
<br>>E-mail: inter@kctu.org Web-site : http://kctu.org
<br>>2nd Fl. Daeyoung Bld., 139 Youngdeungpo-2-ga, Youngdeungpo-ku, Seoul 150-032
<br>>Korea
<br>
<br>
<br>---------[ 받은 메일 내용 ]----------
<br>제목: Free MTU leadership
<br>날짜: 2007년 12월 01일 토요일, 오후 13시 01분 29초 +0900
<br>보낸이: "Geoff Guest" <geoffguest@gmail.com>
<br>받는이: "노동목사" <labrev@hanmail.net>
<br>
<br>Greetings from Hoggy and Hippy,I contacted the ETU.AMWU,MUA,CFMEU, to send protest letters on behalf of the MTU jailed comrades to the Korean goverment on Thursday. Please give me an update on the current position of our brothers and how the struggle is going;I know that you are all busy but it is very frustrating being on the other side of the world while you are all struggling so hard. We send all our strength and love to all our comrades in this time of repression of the migrant workers and we know that in the end WE WILL WIN. I look foreward to hearing from you all very soon. Workers of the WORLD UNITED. TOO JANG International Hoggy and Hippy
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