http://cancun.mediosindependientes.org/

Korean Farmer & Advocate Takes his Own Life

Puntuación actual: 0 by Andrew Kennis Correo-e:
Andrew (at) indymedia.org (no verificado!)
11 sep 2003 Modificado: 09:26:24

Lee Kyung-hae used a Swiss army knife to stab himself in the chest. His
death came during an attempted life-saving surgery at Cancun’s General
Hospital. He was 56 years old.

Mr. Lee had a humble background, as he came from a family who suffered
through rural poverty. After having struggled as a poor farmer for many
years, Mr. Lee became involved in activism as an advocate for farmers
and eventually became the president of the Korean Advanced Farmers
Federation.

In his own words, Mr. Lee described the WTO as a source of "waves that
destroyed our lovely rural communities."

[NOTE: Full text of an article by Mr. Lee, describing his own personal
experiences and reasons for opposition to the WTO, can be exclusively
found right here! >
http://cancun.mediosindependientes.org/newswire/display/419/index.php ]

Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico: On the first day of the 5th ministerial
meeting of the World Trade Organization, a number of events were
planned to demonstrate against the meeting, including a march organized
by Via Campesina < http://www.viacampesina.org/welcome_english.php3 >.

The march was supposed to protest the fact that agriculture is included
within the purview of the WTO’s jurisdiction, the way that the WTO has
handled that topic and the existence of the WTO itself as a legitimate
institution. No one at the march, however, expected it to be the scene
of a suicide.

That, however, is exactly what happened today as a video taken by the
Independent Media Center clearly reveals Mr. Lee Kyung-hae using a
Swiss army knife to stab himself in the chest. His death came during an
attempted life-saving surgery at Cancun’s General Hospital. He was 56
years old.

The march was organized by Via Campesina, which is an international
network of organizations advocating rights for small rural farmers. At
approximately 11:00am (local time) this morning, the march started and
attracted some 10,000 people.

It did not take long for a clash to erupt between the police and the
protestors. A large barricade topped with barbed wire was erected this
morning and the demonstrators were less than happy to find it there.
Rocks that were thrown over the fence were thrown back by police,
landing randomly amongst bystanders in the crowd of the demonstrators.
Pepper gas was sprayed and the scene was tense.

Several banners were hung over the barricade and Mr. Lee climbed on top
of the fence, emotionally gesturing towards the crowd. A symbolic
coffin was lifted by protestors from the Korean Organization of
People’s Action (KOPA), who attempted to force it through the barricade.

“The coffin is a part of a traditional Korean ceremony that we used to
symbolically represent the death of the WTO,” said Ji-Young Park, a
member of the organization.

It was during this tense point of the march that Mr. Lee turned towards
the police and proceeded to stab himself, as footage shot by the
Independent Media Center clearly reveals. Representatives from KOPA
described Mr. Lee as a, “quiet, sensitive man,” during an emotional
scene in front of the hospital where Mr. Lee died, where other
protesters present started to chant, “We are all Lee.”

Indeed, Mr. Lee had a humble background, as he came from a family who
suffered through rural poverty. After having struggled as a poor farmer
for many years, Mr. Lee became involved in activism as an advocate for
farmers and eventually became the president of the Korean Advanced
Farmers Federation.

Mr. Lee attracted attention in Europe this past February when he put up
a tent in front of the WTO headquarters in Geneva, staging a solo
protest against Mr. Stuart Harbinson, who is the chairperson of the
Committee on Agriculture in the WTO. Mr. Lee had one placard that said
“WTO Kills Farmers,” which coincidentally he also had on hand when he
was on top of the fence today before he stabbed himself.

A little bit over two years ago, Carlo Giuliani was killed at the hands
of a young Italian policeman during anti-corporate-globalization
protests in Genoa and his funeral was attended by hundreds of thousands
of people in Italy. His death was a matter of controversy and
importance for some time and will always be known as the first fatality
since the anti-corporate-globalization movement first came to
prominence in 1999 following massive protests in Seattle against the
WTO.

Similarly, Mr. Lee’s death may have additional ramifications, rather
than being a mere rallying point for the anti-corporate-globalization
movement. Anonymous sources who have had contact with an observer in
the South Korean delegation to the WTO ministerial revealed plans in
the work for a walk-out tomorrow. That walk-out could have a domino
effect as South Korea is far from being the only country that is
disgruntled with present negotiations.

Whether or not that walk-out does happen, today’s death is sure to have
a lasting impact, as actions are already being planned for tomorrow in
commemoration of what Mr. Lee’s Korean friends termed, “the maximum
sacrifice one could undertake to show his dedication to the cause and
the movement against the WTO.”

Mira también:
http://antiwto.jinbo.net/eroom/index.html
http://www.viacampesina.org/welcome_english.php3

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