ID :
61483
Wed, 05/20/2009 - 10:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/61483
The shortlink copeid
20 labor activists arrested for staging violent rally
DAEJEON, May 20 (Yonhap) -- A local court on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 20 labor activists on charges of attacking riot police with bamboo spears and sticks.
The activists all belong to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the
more militant of the nation's two major labor umbrella groups. They were detained
last Saturday while participating in a massive rally in Daejeon -- about 160
kilometers south of Seoul -- to mourn the suicide of a local labor leader and
demand better working conditions and wages.
The violent rally, in which 154 police officers and KCTU activists were injured
and 99 police buses were damaged, shocked the nation due to the use of the
potentially lethal weapons.
Alarmed by the violent nature of the protests, President Lee Myung-bak on
Wednesday expressed deep concern and called for a return to the rule of law.
The clash took place as some 7,000 workers from the KCTU and the Korea Cargo
Transport Workers Federation (KCTWF) attempted to march in downtown Daejeon after
holding a memorial service for Park Jong-tae, a senior KCTWF official who
committed suicide on May 3.
Park had been sought by police for months in connection with his role in
organizing earlier protests.
Shortly before the rally, unionized truckers of the KCTWF voted to go on strike,
seeking better working conditions and higher wages.
About 400 protesters were taken into custody over the weekend for allegedly
hurling rocks or wielding bamboo sticks and spears at policemen and riot buses.
Police had sought arrest warrants for 32 people, but the Daejeon District Court
issued only 20, saying, "The 20 activists evidently staged the violent
demonstration and used the dangerous sticks. But there is little evidence
regarding whether the remaining 12 people were actually involved in the
violence."
Authorities raided KCTWF offices in Daejeon and nearby cities Wednesday morning
hoping to secure more evidence of the labor group's role behind the violent
street rally. Police confiscated accounting books, video tapes and other
documents.
The labor union, however, has said police overreacted.
"Investigators caught over 400 activists but only 20 were arrested. Police
definitely suppressed the rally through the use of excessive force," said Kim
Seoung-hak, a spokesman for the KCTU.
The union on Tuesday proposed talks with the government to discuss pending labor
issues, including boosting job creation. It set June 10 as the deadline, adding
it will hold massive protests if no breakthrough is made.
The activists all belong to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the
more militant of the nation's two major labor umbrella groups. They were detained
last Saturday while participating in a massive rally in Daejeon -- about 160
kilometers south of Seoul -- to mourn the suicide of a local labor leader and
demand better working conditions and wages.
The violent rally, in which 154 police officers and KCTU activists were injured
and 99 police buses were damaged, shocked the nation due to the use of the
potentially lethal weapons.
Alarmed by the violent nature of the protests, President Lee Myung-bak on
Wednesday expressed deep concern and called for a return to the rule of law.
The clash took place as some 7,000 workers from the KCTU and the Korea Cargo
Transport Workers Federation (KCTWF) attempted to march in downtown Daejeon after
holding a memorial service for Park Jong-tae, a senior KCTWF official who
committed suicide on May 3.
Park had been sought by police for months in connection with his role in
organizing earlier protests.
Shortly before the rally, unionized truckers of the KCTWF voted to go on strike,
seeking better working conditions and higher wages.
About 400 protesters were taken into custody over the weekend for allegedly
hurling rocks or wielding bamboo sticks and spears at policemen and riot buses.
Police had sought arrest warrants for 32 people, but the Daejeon District Court
issued only 20, saying, "The 20 activists evidently staged the violent
demonstration and used the dangerous sticks. But there is little evidence
regarding whether the remaining 12 people were actually involved in the
violence."
Authorities raided KCTWF offices in Daejeon and nearby cities Wednesday morning
hoping to secure more evidence of the labor group's role behind the violent
street rally. Police confiscated accounting books, video tapes and other
documents.
The labor union, however, has said police overreacted.
"Investigators caught over 400 activists but only 20 were arrested. Police
definitely suppressed the rally through the use of excessive force," said Kim
Seoung-hak, a spokesman for the KCTU.
The union on Tuesday proposed talks with the government to discuss pending labor
issues, including boosting job creation. It set June 10 as the deadline, adding
it will hold massive protests if no breakthrough is made.
