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 Tuesday December 13, 2005 21:32 by Ed Lee - Freelance/HKPA edwin_lee at vodafone dot ie http://www.edleeblog.blogspot.com
 13th December kicks off the WTO meeting with 'People's Action Week'
Only a short hour's march from Victoria Park to the assembly area near the Exhibition Centre, the loud but peaceful rally went through one of Hong Kong's busiest cosmomopolitan areas -- Causeway Bay and Wan Chai. With 9,000 police on duty, a third of Hong Kong's force, navy riot helmets and shields were as common as the ordinary spectator. An interesting point is that very few Hong Kongers took to the streets and many citizens were both simply annoyed and bemused at the event. Most can thank the mainstream media's pre-coverage, which was reminiscent of each year's MayDay in Dublin: news bulletins predicting doom and chaos. But, then again, since the protests are mainly about agriculture and manufacturing, these two industries are practically non-existent in Hong Kong (mainly services based), so that is why the WTO chose HK perhaps? One highlight was when 50 Korean farmers (they sure know how to make a scene) jumped into Wan Chai harbour and tried to swim towards the blockaded Exhibition Centre. Most were predictably picked up by the naval guards. Towards the end of today's rally there were short outbursts of violence, again mainly by Korean farmers. Pepper sprays were today's special on the menu. The People's Action Week continues till the 18th with many events and rallies along the way. For more information: Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO: http://daga.dhs.org/hkpa/index.html Our World is Not For Sale: http://www.ourworldisnotforsale.org/ Make Trade Fair (Oxfam): http://www.maketradefair.org/en/index.htm
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An estimated 5000-10,000 (still preliminary) protestors gathered in Hong Kong's Victoria Park and marched their way to the Exhibition Centre where the WTO 6th Ministerial Conference has just begun. Protestors from all over south-east Asia expressed their solidarity with cultural gatherings and workshops. But the most hyped group are the South Korean farmers who made headline news when Lee Kyeong-hae commited suicide at Cancun 2003.
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For more hi-res pics and continued coverage visit my blog at http://www.edleeblog.blogspot.com
Cheers,
Great turn-out by the way for the Irish Ferries, too bad I wasn't home for that
yesterday was amazing; i actually tried posting up a report and pictures on indymedia last night but the pics were causing me hassle uploading so i had to scrap that.
good pics from you though; if you like i'll send you a couple of mine?
this saturday's culmination should be a colourful event; looking forward to what the rest of the week brings.
;o)
Yes do send me some pics. I can use em in my documentary.
Saturday will be insane what with the last day 'n all. I'm gonna head up to the assembly area real early to get a good coverage spot.
If you'd like to collaborate email me.
Thanks for your above report and pics Ed. The Korean farmers jumping into the harbour was class!!! A perfect example of effective, non-violent resistance. Really enjoyed those pics.
Any idea how many people are expected for Saturday? Do you think the protests are/will make much of an impact or are the numbers too small? The Irish Ferries protest was indeed excellent. Workers on the move, the world trembles!!
I don't know if the WTO events are getting any news coverage back home but it's constantly on the news here in HK.
I think the numbers here are quite sufficient to make a difference. Even the Koreans alone causes a shudder among the police. Funnily enough the Korean co-ordinators have ordered a 'no drinking' policy! They're quite fond of knocking back shots of liquer during meal times, and I thought we were heavy drinkers!
Roughly the same number of protestors were at Cancun 2003 and they were successful in derailing the WTO talks. A small group even infiltrated the WTO conference centre and started chanting as Pascal Lamy was giving his opening speech.
I have no doubt that WTO delegates are constantly being bombarded with images and noises of protests and dissent. One must think of the psychological impact of the events so far.
But what is exactly 'making a difference?' To some that would mean an overhaul of Doha, more fair trade policies or complete annihilation of the WTO.
From my journalistic point of view, the core roots of global poverty & inequality lies with corrupt individuals and governments. Even if so-called fair trade policies are hammered out, who's to say that they'll be 100% ratified in member countries? It only takes a few corrupt politicians to ruin everything.
What we need are brave, intelligent and ethical individuals like Mandela, Anita Roddick and Mary Robinson. And there are those everyday individuals who are volunteers, protestors, activists and campaigners who are also heroes in their own right. So don't demean those charity folks you see in Dublin city centre, don't tell them 'to get a real job': for the real jobs like in banks and large companies are the nuts & bolts of this profit-mad global economy.
And don't forget consumerism! Yes it's crazy how everything we buy nowadays can be interconnected somehow with a poor farmer in Kenya or a miserable garment worker in the Phillipines.
i've emailed you along with some pics from day 1.
saturday will be a day to remember; i honestly can't wait.
so far the talks dont seem to be going too well; lets hope we can rattle them yet.
might see you Saturday then :)
It's great to see the constellations of dissent, but your analysis is naively liberal. the problem is not a few bad guys at the top not playing by the rules a la enron or the bush administration (or even the Washington consensus) etc. The problem is a inhumane exploitative system and the concomitant instrumental reason that puts profit ahead of people and planet. Roddick Robinson and Mandela are a wishy-washy holy trinity by any standards: 2 people quite happy to work within the logic of late capitalism (and profit from it) and an old man who has been sumsumed into said order and is about as threatening as a che guevara tshirt.
It's great to see the constellations of dissent, but your analysis is naively liberal. the problem is not a few bad guys at the top not playing by the rules a la enron or the bush administration (or even the Washington consensus) etc. The problem is a inhumane exploitative system and the concomitant instrumental reason that puts profit ahead of people and planet. Roddick Robinson and Mandela are a wishy-washy holy trinity by any standards: 2 people quite happy to work within the logic of late capitalism (and profit from it) and an old man who has been sumsumed into said order and is about as threatening as a che guevara tshirt.
Yes I see your point, it is a system with a vicious cycle, but then again it's human nature?
But hey, those individuals have done more than you and me to make this a better world, no matter how out-dated they may seem.
For an update of today's WTO events, a smaller crowd took to the streets, again another visible Korean presence.
I just have to keep giving praise to the Korean delegation: this time as a symbolic form of protest, they partook in a ritual 'kneeling & praying every 3 steps' from Victoria to the Assembly Area. Or 'ko-tow' as we would call it in China/HK.
Since they got a bad deal in the press lately (which is not surprising), they organised a peaceful candle-light vigil just a few metres away from the police cordon.
There were also dances, songs and ritualistic chanting. All in all a peaceful day. The calm before the storm perhaps...
Strangely enough the Police decided to create an all-female cordon. What was the strategy behind this? Did they think the Koreans won't charge at females? If so that is just pathetic and sexist.
And I laugh at those 'paparrazi commandos' as I call them- the tabloid photographers dressed in armour who only think of getting good photos of violence for the hightest bidder. For tonight they had to endure a 5 hour wait only to see a candle-light vigil. Hehe fuck y'all!
An all female-force cordon
'Paparazzi commandos'
If anyone has any good photo's of the WTO protests in Hong Kong and they would be willing to have them re-printed in the US based movement publication Left Turn magazine (leftturn.org) - please email them to: Leftturneditors@gmail.com
Specifically we are interested in:
- Colorful banners & Art work
- Close up pictures of the trade union marches/sit-downs
- Protesters clashing with police
you get the idea...
thanks in advance,
-max
The calm before the storm indeed...
Sit-down protest outside Korean embassy
The $2 'EU cow'
Jubilee South's mass painting
School girl with the Korean Farmers Federation flag
No time to do a detailed report but the Korean farmers have run amok in the city and have been clashing with police on the streets. Smoke bombs, flash grenades and pepper sprays are in full use.
It's 11.30pm now and the police have laid siege to roughly 900 protestors in the Wan Chai area.. it's gonna be a long night.
Has this got any coverage in Ireland?
Yeah, its gotten a range of cover in Ireland alright, from the usual "problems have beset the summit as clashes took place between anti-globalisation protesters and police." There was some mention of the fact that 55 riot cops had to enter the building where the talks are on as security was breeched by demonstraters, no real mention of the Korean farmers who are protesting over rice subsidies being scrapped and multinationals being given access to their markets.
tear gas, pepper spray, water cannon, you name, it, eventually i couldnt avoid getting hit by it. after having a relatively good day following the farmers to victoria park (after another group of them had broken through police lines) i headed back to wanchai area and found the new staging area. and that's when the shit went down. crazy, panic, fear, exhileration, how can i describe it? my pix turn out shit but Ed did you see the splash SCMP did the next day? great pics. Apple Daily got some good ones too.
now im waffling. i think thats cos im still trying to figure out just what happened. it'll come in time. :o)
Too much to say really, again it'll come in time :)
Meanwhile as i sort out my 15 hours of footage, I've compiled a collection of my best pics from last week at http://spaces.msn.com/members/edsphotoblog
If you need hi-res pics do contact me.
Couldn't be arsed uploading the rioting pics, you'll find them all over the tabloids.
Cheers, well done everyone who got involved.