korean farmer - "nosotros somos lee" 
 
 

Fyi- this is from Pratap who is a reporter with kpfa in the bay

-----Original Message-----
Subject: [apicaw] korean farmer

this is pratap,

i just got back from the hospital - he's dead. his name was Lee,
Kyung Hae and he was the former president of a small farmers union.
our team did a short interview with him just before he stabbed
himself. but since we don't speak korean all he could say to us in
english was "WTO Kills Farmers" - we had no idea he was about to
commit suicide. he gave us an article about how he had gone to Geneva
to hold a vigil outside the WTO. the 120 strong-korean delegation
that was accompanying him are in complete shock too - they did not
expect this. when i left they were sitting down in the street
surrounded by some black bloc activists who were shouting "nosotros
somos lee" (we are all lee) a popular chant when some one is killed
in a revolutionary struggle

    (09-10) 17:17 PDT CANCUN, Mexico (AP) --

    Farmers and students clashed with police Wednesday as they
tried to storm past barricades and march to the World Trade
Organization meeting site. One protester fatally
    stabbed himself to show his anger over WTO policy.

    The man, South Korean farmer and former lawmaker Lee
Kyung-Hae, died after he stabbed himself in the chest. His friends
called the suicide a ceremonial act.

    WTO officials said Lee recently spent at least two months
camped out in front of the WTO's headquarters in Geneva, holding up
signs that accused the trade organization
    of killing people.

    He also attempted suicide in the lobby of the building in
1990, when he pulled out a Swiss army knife and plunged it into his
stomach.

    At the time, Lee was president of the Korean National Future
Farmer's and Fisherman's Association, one of the country's main
farming lobby groups. He also was a
    former South Korean lawmaker.

    After his death, protesters gathered outside the hospital,
chanting: "We are all Lee."

    They read a statement saying Lee committed suicide because
"the WTO was killing peasants around the world" and calling on the
South Korean delegation to leave the
    talks.

    Lee stabbed himself as thousands of protesters, largely
farmers who believe new trade rules could drive them out of business,
threw chunks of concrete, bottles and
    burning banners at police in an attempt to break through a
police barricade.

    They pushed down the impromptu fence, prompting hundreds of
police to try to drive them away with tear gas and nightsticks. After
several hours, they dispersed, vowing
    to try again.

    Several other protesters were injured by police, at least four
of whom were treated at a hospital. Police said one of their
colleagues also suffered minor injuries.

    The clash took place several kilometers (miles) from where WTO
delegates kicked off a five-day meeting aimed at reducing farm
subsidies and tariffs.

    The protesters said they want to persuade the WTO to drop
agriculture from their trade negotiations. They argue that each
country has a right to protect its food supply,
    and that farmers should not be forced to compete on a global
level.

    The issue has been among the most sensitive the WTO has had to
negotiate, and most delegates agree they won't reach any concrete
conclusions during their meeting in
    Cancun.

    Protesters have been a force at every major WTO meeting since
1999, when street riots disrupted talks in Seattle. Activists, who
include farmers, union leaders and
    students, argue that free-trade rules benefit big business at
the expense of the poor and the environment.

    ?003 Associated Press
--
Pratap Chatterjee
Program Director/Managing Editor
CorpWatch
2288 Fulton St., #103
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
Tel: 510-849-2423
Cell: 510-759-8970
Email: pchatterjee@igc.org
URL: http://www.corpwatch.org