A head-on collision is anticipated today between police and the nation's farmers and anti-FTA activists who plan to go ahead with a second massive rally despite warnings from state authorities.
With about 5,000 protesters gathering in central Seoul, large anti-FTA demonstrations will be held in seven other provincial cities including Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Jeju, according to statements from the Korea Alliance Against the Korea-U.S. FTA.
Farmers from Chungcheong, Gangwon and other rural provinces will be joining the rally in Seoul.
"As the constitution guarantees the right to hold peaceful rallies, we have decided to go ahead with our second protest despite police warnings," the alliance said in a press conference yesterday. "Although we plan to protest peacefully, we will fight back if the police clamp down on us without a justifiable reason."
As a coalition of about 300 anti-FTA civic groups, the alliance has been banned from staging further rallies after last week's nationwide protests which caused turmoil in some regions.
Over 73,000 farmers, workers and activists collided with riot police in 13 cities in one of the most violent protests in recent years. The violence left 63 people injured, including 35 police officers and 21 protesters, causing some 670 million won ($720,000) in property damages nationwide.
Pledging a peaceful demonstration this time, the alliance requested the police to permit its second rally, but their request was turned down. Despite the rejection, activists are also planning even more protests on Dec. 6, as Seoul and Washington prepare to open the fifth round of formal FTA talks.
After declaring a "zero tolerance" policy towards violent rallies, the government reaffirmed that it will take harsh measures should the alliance disobey its restrictions.
"We will disallow any rallies by activist groups with past records of violence," Justice Minister Kim Sung-ho said in a radio interview yesterday, indicating that the government will take suppressive action not only against anti-FTA protests but all other potentially violent rallies.
"While fully securing the right to hold peaceful demonstrations, the government will use all possible measures through criminal charges, indemnity for damages and disciplinary steps to punish leaders and active participants," he added. "I have asked the prosecution to act following the 'zero tolerance' principle."
But Kim said he was against the idea of introducing a stricter permit system for demonstrations.
"As a democratic country, Korea should still guarantee the right for collective action - but only if it does not harm the public welfare," he said.
State police have already summoned 170 activists involved in last week's violent rallies. Since 163 of those protesters failed to show up, the police are planning to request arrest warrants.
The police also raided regional offices of the alliance in Daejeon, Daegu, Gangwon and North Gyeongsang - where the most violent rallies were held - and said officers had secured evidence that protesters were acting under specific orders.
The evidence shows that the act of breaking into regional government offices and setting fires on the streets were intentionally planned before the protest, the police said.
But the alliance emphasized that last week's violence was purely "accidental."
"Violent collisions took place because some governors and mayors had failed to earnestly answer the protesters' questions during the demonstrations. It is only natural that farmers in rural regions are more concerned and enraged about the FTA issue," it said.
"Instead of taking coercive measures, the government should try to analyze the reason why protesters became so violent."
Seoul and Washington have held four rounds of discussions so far on the proposed FTA, aiming to conclude the talks by March 2007 at the latest.
Korea's anti-FTA activists and farmers are opposed to the talks, fearing that the deal will damage their livelihoods by enabling a flood of cheap U.S. farm products to enter the country.
(hayney@heraldm.com)
By Shin Hae-in
2006.11.29
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