Beside the South Korean government is now starting manhunt for planned policy of deportation,
they also try to deceive us
Last Sunday’s newspapers wrote, that government’s officials announced that so-called “illegal” migrant workers would be safe on their work places.
But on Tuesday we’d to learn that it was only a big lie from the government. Maybe they really don’t want to crackdown in the factories directly, but how we learned from Ilsan, they arrested migrant workers during lunch break in front of restaurants. That’s means that, even they will not crackdown inside, but they’ll crackdown outside of factories – they’ll lie in wait for us in front of the factory gate and will arrest us there. And nobody will defend us – not the factory owner, not his managers.
So, we’ve to take the appropriate steps: stay away from the work places! Don’t go anymore to work!
But it doesn’t mean that we’ve to hide out somewhere and to wait, that the government will change his mind, because never they’ll do that.
They only will change their mind if we force them to do so!
Because of this ETU-MB (Equality Trade Union – Migrants’ Branch, a part of KCTU, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions) begun last Saturday a sit-in strike by occupying Myeongdong Cathedral’s compound downtown Seoul. More than 60 ETU-MB activists and allies are demanding by this mean the immediate stop of manhunt and deportation policy, legalization of all migrant workers in South Korea and release of all migrant workers out of immigration detention centers, including Bidduth an Jamal (they got arrested during a demonstration organized my Korean irregular and migrant workers, October 26 are sitting since October 27 in Hwaseong detention center).
So, what we can do now in this dangerous situation?
1. Join the sit-in struggle held by ETU-MB activists and their allies on Myeongdong Cathedral’s compound! Because only if we are masses, we can force the government to change their mind!
2. Get in contact with your regional ETU-MB chapter! If there is no one, please contact: 019-372-3896 (Shumi)
3. Organize rallies, strikes and other activities to fight against plans! Only if we’re fighting they will listen to us!
If we only want to hide it will only hurt ourselves, because they’ll find us and very easy they can break our will, if we are alone.
Very important: if it is necessary to go out – for example to buy food or so – don’t go alone, go only in groups!
And please don’t forget, that we’re not alone: many South Korean workers are joining our struggle. Behind our fight we’ve hundreds of thousands members of KCTU, supporting us actively. But not only the South Korean working class stays behind us, also students, human right organizations and progressive political parties are supporting our struggle here. And not only here we get solidarity. For example on Friday, November 21, in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, a large coalition of the most important NGOs there want to held a rally in front of the South Korean embassy. Also on this Friday in Toronto, Canada, a solidarity group wants to hold a rally in front of the South Korean consulate there to protest against South Korean government’s policy against migrant workers.
Let’s fight together! 투쟁!
Our current demands:
Stop the policy of manhunt and deportation!
Legalize all migrant workers!
Release all migrant workers out off immigration detention centers, including Bidduth and Jamal!
Our longer-term demands:
Give us 5-years work visa!
Give us full labor and human rights!
Give us the right to change our work places!
Solidarity and unity is our weapon in
our fight against exploitation and oppression!
Contact: ETU-MB, Seoul City, Jung-gu, Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Seryong B/D, 2nd fl, Tel 02-2285-6068
Internet: http://migrant.nodong.net, e-mail: migrant@jinbo.net
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letter of protest 
