EMERGENCY: The Police Raided the Gangjeong Village, 경찰, 강정 마을 급습

Update: 1:30 am, Jan. 19, 2010

Except for 11people, about 36people were released around 1am. The identification of the 11 detained are not yet known. The Secretary, Mr. Go Yu Gi is heard to be released tomorrow after a brief investigation. But we are not sure about the mayor, a very devoted man for his villagers.

All the people who were there for the candle light vigil and the released now gathered together in the village hall. After the brief talk, all is expected to return back home. The village people will discuss about tomorrow’s program there. The struggle will be continued tomorrow.

Village people are so thankful and glad of all the international solidarity messages. Thanks so much for all your messages. Please keep to pressure the South Korean government and/or South Korean embassy in your country to complain about the brutal oppression against the people and the naval base plan. Flooding international pressure is not only the biggest help for the poor people in Gangjeong but also preventing another missile defense system in the world.

More later.

* Please see Pressenza

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Update (around 11: 40pm)

The 70 years old man is O. K. and released from the hospital. The doctors suggested him to check more of his bones, but he wanted to be released.

There are Catholic fathers there and a Catholic father is in negotiation with the police chief. The people there are saying if the police release the people, the people will withdraw for a moment from the struggle site.

An activist says that the police security chief is saying they can release about 40 people. The numbers of men and women are not checked yet. But he says some in their old ages were trampled down by foot during the body struggle.

More later.
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* See Bruce Gagnon's blog
Monday, January 18, 2010
UPDATE ON JEJU ISLAND

* The yellow flags made by the village people say 'No Naval Bases'

* All the image source: Jeju Sori.
'The destroyed, wire-fensed, navy-tents camped site of the planned area for the naval base construction
ceremony on Feb. 5. The area is near the Gangjeong stream, the most clean water site in the Jeju island.
Village people in their old ages are sitting in the area after the police raid. About 40 village people and activists
will do the candle light vigil overnight.'
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SEE THE PHOTOS (언론 사진들) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

See the Bruce Gagnon blog on Jan. 17, 2010
2010년 1월 17일 브루스 개그논 블로그를 보세요.

“Rather Kill All of Us”, The Gangjeong Village People Cry
See the VIDEO HERE
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“ My heart is broken. We are helpless and they are forcefully driving the naval base. The Jeju is the Island of the Peace. There should be absolutely no war base. We need the support by all Koreans and all international peace-loving people. We are just the innocent farmers without much knowledge. We need your help.”
(A villager, Hong Keun-Pyo, 52, during the talk by phone on Jan. 18, 2010)


* image source: Seogwipo Daily News Paper, Jan. 18, 2010 서귀포 일간 신문, 2010년 1월 18일

The village people strongly protest against the police. During the process, about 47people (mostly village people), including Mayor, Kang Dong-Kyun (furthest left picture), were taken away by the police. About 3people were wounded including 70years old man who hit his head on the stone when the police pushed him. He was carried to the hospital and is still in coma. He had been protesting against the police who was pushing an old woman.

* image source: Bottom: various Jeju media, Jan. 18, 2010, 각종 제주 언론 2010년 1월 18일

The activists in the Jeju civil organizations, as soon as hearing the news, ran to the Gangjeong village. They included the Catholic Fathers and reverends. In the 10am Press interview, the activists strongly denounced the police raid of the Gangjeong village in the early morning at 5am. The police security chief commanded the forceful dispersal. During the process of dangerous body struggles on the top of the cranes, several activists and village people were wounded. Most of the key activists were taken away as well, along with more than 40 village people. The captured were carried to the three different police stations of the east, west and Seogwipo district. They are expected to be released after 2~3days but some may be even restrained.

* Click the images for the larger view 이미지를 클릭하시면 화면 확대됩니다.
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Update (around 10pm)

Situation on Jan. 18, Gangjeong Village, Korea

Around 5am: 500 police were mobilized with three cranes. Police raided the planned site for the ceremony for starting to work on the naval base. It is in the east side of the village and the village people had been barricading the site with the cars since when the cranes contracted by the navy first entered the site on Jan. 6. About 30 village people succeeded to block it at the time (click HERE) It is known that the police harshly acted today, against the people who are mostly in their old ages. The village people laid their bodies on the ground and cried to rather kill all of them. They pushed the old women and men. The police did not even mind women’s under wears were taken off during the body struggles. The whole story reminds the Pyeongteak when the police attacked the village early in the dawn of May 4, 2006.

Around 6~8pm: About 47 village people including a mayor were taken away to the police station. The police unconditionally took away all the people if they protested.

8~10:30am: five activists including Secretary Go Yu Gi, and two Catholic fathers were taken away to the police, after the short press interview. The activists strongly protested against the police and were dragged from the cranes they were protesting on the top of them. All the captured were separately detained in the three police stations of the Jeju Island. Some may be released soon or some may be even restrained. We don’t know yet but the mayor is expected to get the arrest warrant.

Wounded
A 70year old man is in comma. He hit his head on the stone when he was pushed by a police man. He was protesting against the police who was pushing an old woman.

A Korean Confederation of Trade Union activist, 41 was carried to the hospital but released hours later.

After 1pm.
The remaining village people and the activists continued to confront against the police without the clash.

Currently (at 8pm), about 30~40 people including 20 village people (mostly in their ages of 40~60) and 20 Jeju activists (30~40 years old) are doing the candle light vigil overnight in the confined area. The police blocked the people entering the place. The police are expected to be mobilized again tomorrow morning. A Jeju activist there says, once they are all taken away by the police tomorrow, they may not be able to enter the area again. Because of small numbers there, brutal taking away is expected. But she said the protests in front of the area will go on, afterward. It is possible to contact with the people there by phone and all the international message are carried briefly via it. It empowers the people there.

In the area for the planned ceremony, all the barricades of cars by the village people were removed. Wire fence was set up. And the contracted cranes have done the basic construction process. There are about 6cranes in the area for tomorrow’s continued construction.


What you can do.

Send the strong solidarity message to the village people

Put the pressure to the South Korean government

Prime Minister’s Office
Central Government Complex, 55 Sejong-no, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, Korea (110-760)
Tel: 82-2-2100-2114
webmaster@pmo.go.kr
www.pmo.go.kr

(Find English at the top right)

Consider to come to the village and join the struggle. Even if it is a few days, it will be the greatest support to the village people. The Jeju organizations can provide the accommodation place but not airplane fees. The experience of the Vieques will be much help here in Jeju that is an isolated place from the mainland of Korea. More details will be followed later.

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Update: The police forcefully dragged Ms. Kim Ah-Hyeon, policy director of

the Jeju Solidarity for Participatory Self-Government & Environmental
Preservation and Catholic fathers, reverends while the civil
organization activists strongly protested against the forceful naval
base construction. There was the dangerous body struggle on the top of
the cranes and some activists were wounded and carried to the
hospital.
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Update: Current situation at 10: 30am (Korean time)

About 500 policemen were mobilized to the village Gangjeong at 5am this morning.

Not only 40 village people including the Mayor, Kang Dong Kyun, and Yang Hong Chan, Chairman of the Committee against the military base, but Go Yu Gi, Secretary of the Pan-Island Committee against the Military Base were captured by the police at 10:20am (Korean time).

Mr. Go Yu Gi is the person who first let me know the news and has had the press interview at 10am as he arrived in the village.

In the press interview at 10am, the village people and activists had announced the total struggle to prevent the South Korean navy’s plan to have the ceremony to starting to work on the naval base on Feb. 5, 2010.

About 40 activists including the Catholic fathers and sea-diver women have been protesting sitting in front of the navy-contracted cranes.
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Dear all,

Many of you would probably know Bruce Gagnon’s international petition against the Jeju naval base construction and have heard about the Gangjeong village people’s struggle against the naval base.

http://www.space4peace.org

I just got the message from a key activist in the Jeju organization.
He said the police raided the Gangjeong village early this morning in large number.

He got the news at 6:30am this morning in the Jeju city which is about an hour distance by car from the Gangjeong village. As soon as he heard the news from the people in Gangjeong, he is now heading to the village.

According to him, the police captured three people. The mayor is not heard to be among those. We don’t know yet whether people were wounded or not.

The village people and the Jeju organizations were supposed to have the press interview this morning, to announce the organized tent vigil, joined by the activist organizations.

The Gangjeong village people had set up the fence in their village, to prevent the crane cars contracted by the navy. The navy has planned to work on the ceremony of the starting to work on the naval base on Feb. 5 and the crane cars first entered the village on Jan. 6 but at the time the village people blocked it.

The Jeju organizations and village people have appealed the lawsuit against the Jeju special self-government and provincial assembly for improper and illegal processing and enforcing of the Jeju naval base. The case had the high probability of victory for people and the Navy should at least wait for the result.

The people in Gangjeong which is the most beautiful and pristine village in the Jeju island, but faces the horrible missile defense system in their loved village, need your strong support.

Please email to Bruce Gagnon for your sign against the Jeju naval base construction.

Please post in your website his petition.

We need all your strong solidarity messages as well.

I will send you the updated news again as I heard.

Thanks very much,

No Base Stories of Korea’

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* Related blogs

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/text-fwd-fight-intensifies-on-jeju.html
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
[국 문 번역: International Petition] Call for Signatures Protesting [Jeju] Navy Base Construction that will Destroy Coral Reefs In South Korea
[국제 서명] 남한의 산호초를 파괴할 제주 해군 기지 건설 항의를 위한 서명 요청


http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/text-fwd-solidarity-is-important.html
Saturday, January 16, 2010
[국문 번역] Text Fwd: SOLIDARITY IS IMPORTANT
연대는 중요하다

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/international-solidarity-message-for.html
Friday, January 15, 2010
International Solidarity Messages for the Struggle against the Jeju Naval base Construction
제주 해군 기지 반대 국제 연대 메시지들

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/text-fwd-solidarity-messages-from-great.html
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Text Fwd: Solidarity Messages from the Great Decisions Action Group
'위대한 결정들 행동 그룹'으로부터 연대 메시지들

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/10/text-fwd-island-of-peace.html
Sunday, October 25, 2009 2009년 10월 25일
[국문 번역] Text Fwd: [MISSILE DEFENSE and] THE ISLAND OF PEACE
[미사일 방어망과 평화의 섬]

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2010/01/photovideo-fwd-gangjeong-2010-year-for_02.html
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Photo/Video Fwd: Gangjeong: 2010! A year for Keeping the Village and Sea
(Video of the Gangjeong sea and creatures included.)