Koreas Migrants' Trade Union Leadership Arrested

Urgent Call for International Solidarity

Migrants' Trade Union Leadership Arrested on November 27th.
http://migrant.nodong.net/bbs/view.php?id=news_notice&no=279

-Stop the Repression against KCTU affiliate Migrants' Trade Union!
-Free President Kajiman and other Imprisoned Union Officers!
-Stop the Crackdown and Deportations!

1. Background

On the morning of November 27, MTU President Kajiman, Vice President Raju and
General Secretary Masum were arrested, in what was clearly a targeted
crackdown against the leadership of MTU. We, the KCTU and the
Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union call on the international labor
and human rights community to do whatever in their power to secure the release
of the MTU leadership and end this labor repression against MTU.

At roughly 9:20am on November 27, President Kajiman was leaving his home in
order to attend a plan protest in front of Seoul Immigration Office when he
was confronted by more than 10 immigration officers who had been hiding in
front of his house. The immigration officers restrained the Korean activist
with President Kajiman and then encircled the president. After protesting
strongly, President Kajiman was eventually arrested, his shoulder hurt in the
process.

General Secretary Masum also left his house the morning of the 27 in order to
attend the protest in front of Seoul Immigration. As he walked down the street
he was passed by four 4 large men who were laughing amongst themselves. He
originally did not pay attention to them; however, immediately after roughly
10 immigration officers came up from behind him. He was suddenly surrounded by
nearly 20 people and despite protesting was eventually arrested.

At roughly the same time Vice President Raju was confronted by 4 immigration
officers in front of the factory where he worked. Upon seeing the vice
president, the immigration officers immediately attempted to handcuff him, but
failed due to his forceful protest. When Vice President Raju demanded to see
the officers' identification cards, they presented them along with a
prepared detention order. Despite his protests the vice president was also
eventually arrested.

Soon after all three men were sent to a detention center in Cheongju, Northern
Choongjeong Provience, south of the capital Seoul.

2. Clear Labor Repression

The simultaneous arrest of three MTU leaders, is a clearly a targeted attack,
planed in timing with an intensification of the crackdown against undocumented
migrants in South Korea. Since the beginning of August of this year, the
government has carried out a mass-scale crackdown in an attempt to reduce the
number of undocumented migrants in the country. During this time more than 20
MTU members and officers have been arrested.

By their own admission, despite this crackdown, the numbers have not
significantly decreased. Thus, Immigration Control has stepped up the
crackdown in the last several weeks. At the same time a proposal is being put
forth to revise South Korea's immigration law to make it completely legal to
carry out the crackdown continuously without any procedures, such as requiring
warrants or detention orders, to protect the human rights of the people it
targets. The government has clearly stepped up its repression against MTU
leadership at this moment in order to get rid of the force that has been at
the forefront of the struggle against the crackdown.

3. Call for Solidarity

We, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and affiliate the
Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union, make an urgent appeal to you to
do whatever you can to support our struggle to free the arrested union leaders
and end the barbaric crackdown underway in South Korea.

In particular we are calling for protest letters to be faxed to the Ministry of Justice,
Minister Jung Seong-Jin: +82-2-503-3532 or +82-2-500-9128.

Please be sure to send a copy to KCTU by +82-2-2635-1134(fax) or e-mail at
inter@kctu.org

We wish you also to know that KCTU and MTU are by no means deterred by this
attack. MTU has already selected a temporary leadership and we have already
planned protests for the next days. We are currently making further
preparations and will mobilize every means possible to win the release of
MTU's leaders.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact:

Lee Changgeun
International Executive Director
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Tel.: +82-2-2670-9234 Fax: +82-2-2635-1134
E-mail: inter@kctu.org Web-site : http://kctu.org
2nd Fl. Daeyoung Bld., 139 Youngdeungpo-2-ga, Youngdeungpo-ku, Seoul 150-032
Korea

Liem Wol-san
International Coordinator
Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union(MTU)-affiliated to KCTU
Tel : +82-2--2285-6068
Email: migrant@jinbo.net Website: http://mtu.or.kr

SAMPLE LETTER

Mr. Jung Seong-Jin
Minister of Justice
Seoul, South Korea

Dear Minister Jung,

On the morning of November 27 between 9:00 and 9:30, the president, vice
president and general secretary of the KCTU affiliate, Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon
Migrants' Trade Union, were arrested, each in front of his separate home or
workplace. This event has already received international attention. It is
clear from the form in which the arrests took place that this was a targeted
crackdown meant to silence MTU and the opposition struggle it has lead against
the anti-human rights crackdown being carried out against undocumented
migrants in South Korea. That this was a meditated act of repression is also
apparent from the fact that the arrests came at the same time as the South
Korean Immigration Control Office is stepping up its crackdown and a proposal
is being put forth the revise immigration law to make it possible to carry out
the crackdown continuously with complete disregard for the most basic
procedures to protect human rights.

The arrests of the MTU leadership is a gross violation of human rights and a
horrendous act of labor repression which targets not only migrant workers and
MTU but also the KCTU, the 15 million workers it represents and the
international labor community. As such, we will not remain silent.

We therefore forcefully call on you to meet the following demands:
-Immediately release President Kajiman, Vice President Raju and General
Secretary Masum!
-Stop the targeted crackdown and labor repression against MTU!
-Stop the crackdown and deportation of undocumented migrant workers!

Signed,

Lee Changgeun
International Executive Director
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Tel.: +82-2-2670-9234 Fax: +82-2-2635-1134
E-mail: inter@kctu.org Web-site : http://kctu.org
2nd Fl. Daeyoung Bld., 139 Youngdeungpo-2-ga, Youngdeungpo-ku, Seoul 150-032
Korea

2007-12-13 18:20:10