Don’t let them die any more. They’re also ‘humans!’
On an extremely sunny day, July 24, 2009, in front of the National Police Agency, the Women’s Action for Decent Lives and Jobs (WADLJ) held a press conference to tackle the issue peacefully and through communication, after hearing the news that public power will be imminently exercised at the Ssangyong Motor. However, the police surrounded WADLJ activists very tightly and demanded them to hold a press conference in front of the Records Department, instead. In response, mothers from the Minkahyup were so furious because they have held press conferences in front of the main gate so far. We at the WADLJ raised questions why we have to hold a press conference in front of but Records Department not the main gate: and the police attempted to undermine the importance of the issues of Ssangyong Motor’s workers. We had serious argument with the police and finally, we had negotiation with the police and finally held the press conference at the spot in the middle.
The conference began with the address by Lee Kang-sil, chairperson of Women Corea. She warned “if public power is exercised at the Ssangyong Motor, another Yongsan tragedy will be likely to take place,” to strongly urge the government to solve this matter in a peaceful way. Park Young-mi, chairperson of KWAU insisted that dismissals are like murders and employment is stabilizing the livelihood of people, in her address for denouncing the government.
Family committee of the Ssangyong Motor workers showed their distress saying “my husband is leading a worse life than animals in up there now,” because Ssangyong Motor workers cannot get any water or medicine. They also emphasized peace and communication saying “Arms such as electric guns are given to the police.”
A mothers belonging to Minkahyup highlighted human rights and respect of lives over and over, saying “these attempts to suppress workers in the violent ways were usually seen in the military regimes in
On that day, at the end of the press conference, participants were supposed to tie ribbons which represent peace on the iron gate of the National Police Agency, but they failed to. Due to the fighting between our WADLJ participants and policemen, some participants have bruises. As a last exit, we tied all the ribbons and tried to give them to the riot police, but he refused them. That’s why the participants had to tie ribbons around the tree in front of the National Police Agency. That shows a part of the Age of Blocked Peace and Communication.