The detention and deportation of Filipino activists from Seoul and the harassment and intimidation of a number of other activists at the hands of Korean immigration authorities are manifestations of the undemocratic and anti-people nature of the G20 and further exposed the illegitimacy of this group of self-proclaimed caretakers of the global economy.

The protests and mobilizations in Korea of tens of thousands of people in clear defiance of the Korean governments security measures, is an indication of a clear disconnect between the agenda of the governments of the G20 countries and the interests and aspirations of their people.

The G20 Summit in Korea was supposed to address the issue of the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the wake of the global economic crisis. The G20’s prescriptions for economic recovery and development, however, anchored on the perpetuation of a flawed corporate driven, export-oriented development model would further exacerbate poverty and inequality and undermine social cohesion across the world.

The whole point of the Peoples Conference in Korea, and the reason why the deported Filipino activists came to Korea, is to articulate the peoples’ opposition and resistance to the G20 and to collectively discuss and put forward alternatives to the failed model of development that the G20 is so desperately trying to preserve.

We say NO to the G20 and the policies that continue to threaten jobs and peoples livelihoods, and erode workers’ rights and welfare;

We say NO to the G20 and policies that cause the expulsion and repatriation of migrants in the name of restrictive and Draconian migration policies and rules;

We say NO to the G20 and the policies that use women as safety nets in crisis, and is blind to the differential decision-making powers in the household and economy in general;

We speak out against the free trade agenda and the push of the G20 governments for more ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreements disguised as economic partnerships but are really instruments of economic domination and control by the rich over the poor within and across countries and regions;

We speak out against the development agenda of the G20 which threatens peoples’ right to food, destroys the environment, and perpetuates unequal access and control over natural resources in support of the profit-driven motives of corporations;

We say NO to the G20. It does not represent the interests of the peoples of the world and it cannot speak on our behalf.

We call on the peoples of the world to come together against the G20 and to intensify the struggle for a better and more just and peaceful world.

Action for Economic Reforms (AER)
Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)
Aniban mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA)
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific (CATW-AP)
Focus on the Global South
Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)
Jubilee South – APMDD
KAISA-KA
Kilusang Mangingisda (KM)
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center
Migrants Forum for Asia (MFA)
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ)
Task Force Food Sovereignty (TFFS)
World March of Women – Pilipinas

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Seoul Deports a young Anti-G20 Activist Anew

By Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)

Despite the threat of detention and deportation, Joanna Bernice “Nice” Coronacion, 22, courageously travelled to South Korea to try and enter the country to participate in the activities of the Peoples’ Collective Action Against G20. She was invited by Korea Women’s Alliance, as the labor sector representative of the World March of Women (WMW)-Pilipinas.

Coronacion, who is also the National Coordinator of Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)-Youth, did not go out of the Incheon Airport, three hours after her flight’s touchdown. Jean Enriquez, Coordinator of WMW-Pilipinas was burning lines with Young Soon of Korea Women’s Alliance, who is supposed to pick Coronacion at the airport. Enriquez is concerned that Coronacion will be made to board the 8PM flight back to Manila, as was done to Josua Mata, Secretary-General of APL, and 4 others, last night.

“Young Soon was told by the immigration officer that they were still interviewing Nice, and never returned call despite our insistence,” according to Jean Enriquez, Coordinator of WMW-Pilipinas. At 8:20 PM, Enriquez received a call from KWA that the immigration officer finally informed her that Nice is on the 8PM flight to Manila via Korean Airlines.

Coronacion was supposed to talk on the impact of neoliberalism on women workers during the Gender Justice Action Workshops on November 8 and10, as well as the protest action on the 11th, ahead of the G20 Summit.

“The South Korean Government and the G20 have exposed themselves to be violators not only of economic rights, but political rights as well,” Enriquez was indignant.

“If there’s anyone who should be detained, it should be the G20 leaders who are trying to resuscitate a flawed model of development – the very same model that has led to the global crisis,” Mata added.

The People’s Collective Action against G20 – Philippines will be holding an indignation rally tomorrow, Monday, in front of the South Korean Embassy in Manila.

APL lambasts South Korean gov’t for deporting alternative G-20 activists

Josua Mata interviewed by reporters in NAIA airport shortly after arrival. With 5 other activists, the group were detained and deported in Seoul for anti-G20 protest activity

THE Alliance of Progressive Labor voiced its outrage over the unjust deportation yesterday of its secretary general as well as five other Philippine activists who were supposed to attend a parallel forum to the G-20 summit in Seoul, South Korea.

“We hold the government of President Lee Myung-bak responsible for this hostile and illegal action, including the rough treatment our comrades suffered from Korean immigration officers who, following orders from you, were utterly devoid of decency, humanity and transparency,” Edwin Bustillos, APL Deputy Secretary General, said.

He added that the Korean government’s “security paranoia and twisted aversion to civil society, including even the legitimate parallel assembly to the G-20, is like a return to the past military dictatorships in Korea and the martial law regime here in the Philippines, and like an obedient canine bowing to his rich corporate masters in the G-20.”

Nothing demonstrates the true nature of G20 than the fact that while it is detaining and deporting activists from the global south, it was busy preparing to have a dialogue with the world’s top 120 corporate leaders. “This only confirms what we have been saying all along, that we can’t allow the G20 to decide the fate of everyone in this planet as it is patently undemocratic and anti-people,” Bustillos said.

The Filipino “G-20 deportees” are Josua Mata, APL secretary general; Joseph Purugganan of the Focus on the Global South; Ma. Lorena Macabuag, Migrant Forum Asia; Rogelio Soluta, Kilusang Mayo Uno; Paul Quintos, Ibon; and progressive musician Jess Santiago.

They and many other activists throughout the world were invited by several Korean civil society organizations under the Korean People’s G20 Response Action, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), to participate in different programs of a “parallel forum” to the official G-20 Economic Summit on Nov. 11-12.

Immigration officials detained the Philippine delegation immediately after deplaning at Incheon International Airport telling the Filipinos that they were “blacklisted” and were forced to board the 9:30 p.m. flight back to Manila. But the Korean authorities failed to present any written explanation on the blacklisting.

The Korean hosts of the Filipino delegates also protested the detention and deportation of their guests.

“President Lee Myung-bak and the G20 will never succeed in stifling voices of the people from the Global South,” Bustillos declared. APL will heed the call of the People’s Action Against the G20 to intensify actions against G20.

G-20 is officially called the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from 20 economies – 19 countries and one representative from the European Union. While it comprises a large chunk of the global economy, the G-20 – like the WTO, IMF and the WB – is effectively controlled or heavily influenced by governments of a few rich nations and their transnational corporations, thus proposed policies are usually biased to the latter. And just like in the WTO, the G-20 is also beset by concerns on lack of transparency and its prejudice on anti-poor neoliberal economic programs.

www.apl.org.ph/