Dear friends,
As many of us are informed by Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space (GN, space4peace.org/space4peace.blogspot.com), the list of June 22 world-wide hunger strike participants is increasing. Thanks very much, Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar for your inspiration! We owe to you!
In the U.S.A., on June 7, Mary Beth Sullivan, in Bath, Maine, an Outreach Coordinator of the GN started the open- end solidarity hunger strike with the people in the Czech Republic, replacing Bruce Gagnon who finished his 2 weeks hunger strike on the same date with me, June 6 (In the attached June 8 photo, second from the left; the others are Bruce Gagnon, Karen Wainberg and me ). I was very much warmed and encouraged by her kindness during my 2 weeks solidarity hunger strike. I hope she is very well in her health during her own fast, too.
It has been near a week that I returned to my normal life. I am very well. I continued my Thursday protest on June 12, at the sane time, from noon to 2 pm, at the same place of the Hammarskjold Plaza crossing the UN, New York. The chance was good because I could distribute the 500 prints of the flyer made from the Czech (attached).
I will do again on the next Thursday, June 20, same place and same time. Some people yesterday were paying attention by my repeated protest. Yesterday, one woman would say to me, “ I got everything from you!” Since May 22, it has been my fifth protest at the same place and same time. Each time, the content of the print has been gradually changed as the situation was developed. It will be good if we more spread words.
I have been reading some Korean articles about the protest in Korea. You may refer the http://koreareport2.blogspot.com for more info. I want to share a story about it, even if I am not an expert and may be wrong in my understanding. I attach a photo from the site of the Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (www.spark946.org). The photo resource is ‘mydaily’. On June 10th, 2008, the twenty-first year memorial day of people’s uprising against the military dictatorship in 1987, more than 500,000 people in Seoul filled the street against the unequal negotiation between the US and SK, this time represented by the issue of US beef import.
The lights on the street in the photo come from the candle lights held by the crowd. From 10 years old boy to the disabled, the people were doing nonviolence protest in almost like cheerful festival manner, despite the violent response of the police. Even fifteen year old girl got the pepper spray and would be arrested. Many were brutally hit by the police, including women. But people are not afraid of the police! They condemn them and surpass them! Even some national guards who are sympathetic to people are protecting them from the police violence, in their uniform.
In Korea’s case, it was pressured to import more than 30 months beef that certainly load a high possibility of mad cow disease. The Canada and South Korea are by now, the two known countries who are pressured to import them. Even in the US, it is prohibited to sell more than 24 months beef. Still then, it is known that many people in the US who died by Alzheimer disease are suspected to actually be killed by the mad cow disease. You will hardly know. Why? The inspection is proved to be only truly valid by opening the brain of the corpse. The harder thing is since it is very contagious, all the medical instruments have to be destroyed after a corpse is proved to die by the mad cow disease. And the disease bacteria seldom die. The whole process of inspection itself is highly risky and costs tremendous. That is why the big US slaughter corporations are doing only so small percentage of actual inspections, hiding the result to the people.
Even if one is vegetarian, one will not know how the affected gene enters one’s own body. The beef ingredients also enter for the taste for the noodle soup, jelly, cosmetics, medicine and woman stuff. It is noticeable, the protest in the SK was initiated by 15, 16 year old girls who cried, “ I am only 15 years old, I don’t want die early!” Yes, we are not only risking ourselves but have sacrificed the younger generations. A High school boy was filming the protest, saying, “ I am making a parody movie, imagine the SK where everybody die except for one man”. It is laughable but may be true. It will be almost like the effect of nuclear weapon slaughtering all the population.
The Koreans have more hot days in June. It includes the 6th year memorial day of the two fifteen year old girls killed by a US tank from the US military base nearby their home town. This mass protest has been more than a month. Unless at least, the SK government renegotiates with the US government in the right direction, the people will not recede. It seems the candle lights will seldom fade in Korea at least for a while. It was a joy for me to happen to see one of my art students in the Korean American solidarity protest with the people in Korea in the NY, on June 7. She was holding a candle while filming the protest with her other hand. I gave her the copy of the prints on the June 22 hunger strike.
I wanted to share the portion of the current news from Korea. Even small and partial, I hope it helps to build our worldwide context.
Thanks very much, everyone.
Sung-Hee Choi
Reporter for the Solidarity for Peace And Reunification of Korea (spark946.org)
Friend of the Global Network against Weapons and Nuclear power in Space(space4peace.org)
Join June 22 worldwide hunger strike.
More info about the solidarity with the people in the Czech, in the USA (as I know)