2016 Jeju Peace March; Does South Korea need THAAD?; Veterans for Peace Joining the March; Two Korean American peace activists were deported; Reflections and photos on the march in Jeju and Peace for the Sea camp in Taiwan; Seongsan residents against the 2nd airport project; Jeju’s militarization presented in the East Asia Tribunal of Eviction; Hula Girls; Everyday protest in front of gates; Hotpinkdolphins summer camp in Gangjeong; Refusing to be investigated; A sea voyage for peace and more.
Re-blogged from here: The Irish Catholic, 2013. Irish Missionaries lead Korea military protest(Fwd by John Whipple). Though it does not necessarily reflect Save Jeju Now’s own view, the re-blogged article is helpful to glance on the degree of international solidarity opposing the Jeju naval base project. The role of Catholics worldwide, especially Irish Catholic’s, represented by Fr. Pat Cunningham, is remarkable.
Regarding the number of the Catholics in the village, Paco Booyah, a member of the Village International Team writes: ‘There are several villagers who are Catholics. But not many. Also because of the Catholics’ brave and strong actions, there are several villagers who have considering becoming catholic. There are more protestants than Catholics among the villagers though. And actually a majority of the villagers are Buddhist. Many villagers also believe traditional Jeju shamanism.’
Irish Missionaries lead Korea military protest
Religious are leading efforts to prevent a military base on Jeju island, writes Siobhan Tanner
Religious who gathered for the anniversary Mass on Jeju.
Every day at 11 o’clock outside Gangjeong village on the spectacular coastline of Jeju island, a long line of cement trucks, serving the construction site for a military naval base, grinds to a halt. For the next hour none will enter or leave the compound.
Outside the six-metre high metal fence, their way is blocked by two priests in windblown white vestments. One, on rotation from an island parish – and one, a Jesuit, sent here for this cause – are holding Mass for about 20 protesters.
When the liturgy ends, the group spreads out, holding hands. They sing protest songs before they are drowned out by the sound of starting engines. The hour is up. The trucks, flanked by hundreds of police, army and private security (up to 600-strong, reports one observer) break forcibly and easily through the human chain, arresting some and scattering others.
This is the daily show witnessed by Colomban missionary, Fr Pat Cunningham, who has become increasingly radical since coming to South Korea in 1992.
Deportation
He has been threatened with deportation for protesting a massive military naval base on the pristine Unesco-protected island of Jeju, 50 kilometres south of the Korean peninsula. More than 130,000 police and army personnel have been sent to supress the opposition since 2011. “Surveillance is so huge down there and anyone who criticises the base is ‘red-brushed’ and labelled a North-Korean sympathiser in the mainstream press,” he tells The Irish Catholic from his mission house in Seoul.
Fr Cunningham is one of hundreds of priests and nuns who have placed themselves bodily in front of machines since the protests began in 2007.
Arms race
Donal O’ Keefe, head of the Colombans in Korea says they oppose the base because it is a threat to regional and world peace. “It is fuelling the arms race in Asia where South Korea is being used as a pawn in the Pacific where the USA and China are now confronting each other.”
The base will be a catastrophe for the Gangjeong environment and the livelihoods of the population living there; warship traffic is predicted to drive nine endangered species, including the bottle-nosed dolphin, towards extinction.
Due to be finished by primary contractors Samsung in 2014, the base will be contracted by the US to house 7,000 marines and 20 warships, including aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and destroyers armed with ballistic missiles which will patrol the East China Sea.
Koohan Paik, campaign director of a forum on Globalisation’s Asia-Pacific programme says Jeju is just one island in a growing constellation of geostrategic points that are being militarised as part of President Obama’s ‘Pacific Pivot’, a major initiative announced late in 2011 to counter a rising China. According to separate statements by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, 60% of US military resources are swiftly shifting from Europe and the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. (The United States already has 219 bases on foreign soil in the Asia-Pacific; by comparison, China has none.)
And though there are no Catholics among the 1,500 fishermen and farmers of Gangjeong village, the Church in Jeju has been at the forefront of struggle from the start.
Hunger strike
When the governor of Jeju (since ousted) agreed to accept the naval base on the island province in 2007, local priests went on a hunger strike and their bishop, Peter Kang U-il, wrote an open letter to South Korea’s president urging a referendum on the plan.
The Jesuits too waded into the battle early, sending priests from the mainland – four of whom were imprisoned for sentences ranging from one month to three.
Then, two years ago, the Church in Korea made a bold political move when clergy nationwide announced that they would engage in civil disobedience to halt construction of the site. More than 15 dioceses and several religious and justice organisations committed to fighting the naval base. After this, arrests of religious increased exponentially.
At the height of activity early last year – during the blasting and paving of Gureombi Rock, a one-kilometre basalt formation – 20 nuns and a priests, praying for peace outside the gate were arrested, while 13 Catholic priests went on trial for holding a Mass and sit-in protest.
Minor victories
The battle for Jeju has become a litany of minor victories and major defeats. When parliament halted funding for the project, in December of last year, pending an independent review, contractors Samsung continued construction using their own funds.
Law suits filed by villagers against the government have been dismissed by an allegedly hostile judiciary and environmental monitors report that once-pristine water sources have been contaminated while dredging has started to kill the underwater coral.
Meanwhile, the penal crackdown on activists has increased.
Three months ago, Brother Park Do-Hyun and Dr Sang Kang-Ho, members of Save Our Seas, were arrested while monitoring the dredging of the sea-bed which was being done without environmental protection measures.
Both men have passed 100 days in custody, awaiting sentence. Despite, these setbacks, the Catholic-led protests show no signs of diminishing.
At their two-year anniversary Mass in early October, hundreds of religious pledged to continue their non-violent actions in Gangjeong and again called for a stop to the construction.
“In our heart of hearts, maybe we know that we cannot stop it but we continue campaigning to raise awareness, to show the world what is happening,” says Fr Cunningham.
And to this end, the Save Jeju campaign has been successful. Despite a virtual blackout in the Korean and US media, activists have raised the profile of their struggle to the international stage, most recently adding the name Hollywood director Oliver Stone to a growing list of celebrities and famous commentators who have visited Gangjeong.
The Jeju campaign for Peace arrived in Ireland this month for the first time when Mayor Kang of Gangjeong – who himself was imprisoned for three months – spoke at the Frontline Defenders conference in Dublin.
– See more at: http://www.irishcatholic.ie/article/irish-missionaries-lead-korea-military-protest#sthash.Osd7LLh3.dpuf
The writing forwarded below is by Wang Yu-Hsuan, Taiwan, who wrote this in the night before her leaving on April 26. We, in the village, used to call him Emily, her nickname. She came to Gangjeong in 2011 and has been recently in overseas for two months. It is very emotional day for all the people who have known and thank her wonderful spirit that inspire many.
The South Korean government rejected her entry on April 24, the day of her returning back from the overseas, with neither explanation nor specific information of which government institute demanded the denial of entry against her. Wang Yu-Hsuan became the 2nd international peace worker who were denied entry to Korea since the launch of Park Geun-Hye government, after Ban Hideyuki on April 19, who is a co-representative of the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, a representing Japanese anti-nuclear group. (See PSPD)
Regis Tremblay immediately made a video on her on April 24. You can see it, here.
The Front Line Defenders also made a statement denouncing South Korean government. You can check it, here. (Thanks, Gayoon Baek, PSPD, for informing this)
Many Korean news media including Hankyoreh, Ohmynews, Gobal News, are reporting unjust entry denial against her.
She is the victim of vicious Immigration Control Act(See No. 3 and 4, item 1 of the Article 11, which can be indiscriminately applied to any internationals to the violation of their human rights ) of South Korea. 21 internationalshave been refused entries in relation to the Jeju naval base issue. Beside that, Benjamin Monnetand Angie Zelter have gotten injunction and exit order respectively for their peace works in Gangjeong, last year. We hope this tragic moment would inspire many. We thank and bless Wang Yu-Hsuan for her new journey of life.
Wang Yu-Hsuan (Emily Wang), a peace worker, is with her lover, Kim Dong-Won, Incheon Airport, in the morning of April 26. The South Korean government rejected her entry into Korea without explanation.‘I won’t sign the document which they asked me to sign, and I won’t leave by my own legs. And I need a clear answer why I have to be out especially when I hold a legal visa by Republic of Korea, and when I applied my legal visa, I did explain well what I do in Korea. I work for peace. I am a peace worker.’ (Wang Yu-Hsuan in the morning of April 25). She has persistently demanded the reason from the Immigration Office since she got this notice from it on April 24.
Dear friends
I am leaving for Taiwan tomorrow with a ticket by my friends. I have to many to say, so I don’t sleep at the late night in the airport waiting room. Please read it.
I want to express my deep thankfulness for every small effort which you have done for me. I am not a perfect peace worker, but I would like to be brave to identify myself as a peace worker.
Since I got to know I am not to be allowed to enter Korea in the afternoon of April 24th, the immediate warm supporting action has been taken by the friends who I know or the friends who I don’t even know around the world.
When I am struggling in the immigration office in Incheon airport on the first day, I had my Korean friends who fly the same flight with me to support me and be with me although soon they were taken away. And in the first day’s stressful process in the immigration office, I won’t forget the endless ringing form the protesting phone calls and it bothered the immigration officers so much during the process. I never forget the immigration officers came to me to ask me to stop the posting on twitter as they’ve been annoyed so much by the protesting phone call and “even the phone call from UK!” said with an annoyed voice by one immigration officer. I talked on the phone of Immigration office with some protesting friends as they requested to talk with me who got stocked in the airport.
As soon as I took the phone from the officer, there’s one funny and impressive action which they did to me in common. Before telling me the encouragement words, they all told to me in the very beginning that “Just listen and don’t talk about the name(듣기만해 이름 부르지마).”
You will know why if you ever stay in Gangjeong. You will know why people become so sensitive about their names. I, as one of the peace worker in Gangjeong, know about it.
As a peace worker, we want to practice trust not doubting but one of the pathetic thing is a vicious circle of mistrusting. How beautiful my name is but for such a long time, I couldn’t tell my name in public.
Look at my case. I’ve never got arrested or received an investigation from the Korean police. I’ve never got a trial in the court. I’ve never easily told people my real name or in the beginning not even my nickname. But now I am rejected to enter to ROK because I am in the “Red List”. (* She means ‘black list.’)
It’s uncomfortable experiences but I am not surprised that ROK know about a small person like me. The Gangjeong police called my nick name “Emily” so naturally as if they have been knowing me for a long time. But I’ve never introduced even my nickname to any of the police, and since one day, even the security guys of naval base called my real name (passport name) to one person who’s appearance is similar with me.
I don’t want to deeply think of how they discovered these personal information as I want to be happier. haha But anyway I keep in mind that the nightmare which happened to many other our foreign friends may happen to me some day. And it happened now. Without the bad record from ROK police, I am directly on the national Red List! And so far, under the pressure of Korea congress men, the ministry of justice of ROK remain silent on the reason why prevent me from entering Korea. It’s an (inconvenient) secret.
Firstly, when I was brought to the immigration office and being told about what happened to me, I wasn’t cool enough to arrange my feelings and words.
I just kept requesting to the officers to tell me why a person like me with the legal visa issued by ROK got rejected to enter to Korea suddenly after a short oversea trip. I’ve been living continuously in Korea since 2011, but suddenly you reject me to enter again, and then how about all my “belongings” there: I still have family and friends there, I have seniors and Juniors there, I have love there, and I have inspiration there.
I just thought ROK, you are very RUDE! You don’t even have the manner which the elementary student usually have.
But Now I a bit regret that I should have said to the immigration officers that “thank you for highly value my peace work in your country by kicking me out. I didn’t know I am such an important small peace worker.”
By giving me the special label, I want to say thank you. You give me a big present to continue the vision of Inter-peace islands solidarity. I traveled out of Korea partially for the Inter-peace islands solidarity, but now I must be out of Korea for at least 5 year. I wonder how to receive your big present with honor.
In the beginning, I didn’t want to leave until I am forced out as I wanted to get the answer from the ministry of justice of ROK but my dear family in Jeju initiated to buy a return ticket for me to go back to Taiwan my home country, which made me not happy in the beginning. They said to me “I am sorry and ashamed but in the end we want you to walk back with dignity not with being carried by police.”
I was not happy but accepted the group decision. But after I clean up my mind in my last night in Korea (actually not Korea but the waiting room in airport), I was happy again as I begin to understand that I should walk back to Taiwan and other islands by my own will to realize “inter-peace Islands”. It’s not new to be carried out for a Gangjeong person but this time, I am not going to be carried out but I will walk beyond because I am not blocking but walking a new way.
Still I demand an official reason from ministry of justice, but now the burden lays on my families and friends in Korea who promised me to take the responsibility. Instead, they asked me to walk ahead with dignity. I am awakened about the price of my final dignity and I’m also awakened about the Big Present from ROK.
Too many thanks to say, so I said to the one.
Let’s work together, let’s not leave each other alone in the way of peace, so that we can finally say no to the war base.
War Base you are really Bad and RUDE!
Wang, Yu-Hsuan ( How beautiful name I have! )
2013/4/26 02:35 am
A sad but unforgettable moment. We wish much bless to both of you!Photo by Dr. Song Kang-Ho/ Wang Yu-Hsuan raises hand for good-bye to the friends in Gangjeong, invisible for her, though. Just before her leaving on April 26. (Source)‘After arriving in Taiwan, my passport with this paper was returned back to me. On the column of Reason of Repatriation, it’s written “person who got ENTRY DENIAL ” or maybe I can say “black list. ” but there’s no reason.’ (Wang Yu-Hsuan, April 26)‘I am one of the people who has known Emily very well. I interviewed Emily who came from Taiwan on a day of July, 2011 when I had been much staying in and reporting on Gangjeong. Emily joined the struggle opposing to the Jeju naval base project, staying in Gangjeong village since June, 2011, along with other members of the ‘Frontiers,’ an international peace group. Emily was doing silent protest holding her paintings in front of construction gates of the Jeju naval base project illegally being enforced. Can you say it was the ‘act to damage the public safety of the Republic of Korea’? Emily who ate ice cream that villagers gave her in their expression of thanks: Can you say it was the ‘act to damage economic order of the Republic of Korea? Emily who enjoyed the hide-and-sick play with the village children because they were especially fond of her: Can you say her play with children was the ‘act to damage good customs?’ (Lee Jubin, Ohmynews, April 26, 2013)Photo by Jeong Dauri/ Wang Yu-Hsuan on a day of march ( information on specific date was not given) (source)
‘Dear Korea government, do you want to deport me because I witness the beauty of Gangjeong which you have been trying hard to hide from the world?’ (Wang Yu-Hsuan, April 25) It’s about Gangjeong in my eyes… (Video by Wang Yu-Hsuan )
Report on Benjamin Monnet’ s SOAS speech on March 21
By Andrew, UK Gangjeong solidarity team
This month SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London, hosted Benjamin Monnet to talk about the struggle against the Jeju naval base, sponsored by the ‘Save Jeju Island’ student society. Benj, as he is known to his many friends, lived in Gangjeong village for ten months, joining the resisting the naval base and bringing the issue to the attention of international media. He was a valued and loved member of the village peace community, but last year was deported suddenly, violently and illegally by a South Korean government clearly worried by his non-violent acts to defend the Gureombi from detonation.
He arrived in London from his hometown in France the day before his talk and came straight to SOAS, meeting other students involved in the ‘Save Jeju Island’ society. Immediately he was engaging with students, inviting them to the event and helping our team put posters around the student union. A real ‘hands on’ guest speaker! We shared a delicious Indian curry provided free by Hari Krishna devotees on the campus. Benj, who is now based in Nepal, said the food made him feel at home.
Image: UK Gangjeong solidarity team
The talk the next day was attended by twenty five students, from the UK, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Italy and Tahiti. Benj’s desire was to ‘generate some inspiration’, and he did so speaking in his warm, calm French accent. But behind this softly spoken man there is a strong passion for justice, and for harmony among all people and nature. There is anger too at the destruction and injustice taking place at Gangjeong. He showed film of the navy’s ramming of Save Our Seas team kayaks, in which he narrowly missed being killed( * See the English article, here), and described, when asked by audience members, the events leading up to the deportation that has separated him from his partner, and the people and place he loves. But he was careful to not make himself the focus of a talk about that is fundamentally about the struggle against greed and militarism. He is uncomfortable with the ‘activist’ label – “I’m not sure what I am, but I know I am human and I have a heart”. Without saying it directly, he was challenging the audience to examine their own hearts in relation to the Gangjeong issue.
Video by Jeju Sori TV on March 8, 2012
Benj is keen from the outset that his talk should be a dialogue, not a monologue, and encourages a relaxed atmosphere where people are free to contribute and question. Many students express despair about the ongoing construction. ‘Is it really possible to stop the base?’ ‘What about all the work that’s already completed?’ He dismisses the defeatism behind such questions with a smile. ‘Of course it’s possible. Where there’s a will there’s a way – but we need your help. Don’t worry about the work that’s already done, that can be removed. Korean people work fast!’
Image: UK Gangjeong solidarity team
There is a lively discussion about North Korea, but Benj makes sure people know that the base is related to China. He says that in terms of kilo wattage, the US will have the equivalent of 12,000 Hiroshima bombs on Jeju Island. ‘One was enough, huh?’ A Korean student expresses strong support for the naval base as he thinks it is about self defence. Benj listens patiently and respectfully, but then challenges the student. ‘If I point a gun at your head, is that self defence? Is this how you should treat your neighbour?’ It’s a response that he makes several times when he meets young Koreans in London who have the same view about national defence. ‘Some people are a bit shocked when I pretend to hold a gun to their head’ he remarks, ‘but sometimes we need to shock people. Some people are sleeping, and they need to be woken up!’
Many people were reluctant to leave after the event, and stayed continuing discussions. Benj warmly suggested everyone go together for dinner, so ten of us went to ‘Naru’, a Korean restaurant near the university. We enjoyed making new friendships over delicious food. Being with many Korean students, and engaging with the friendly staff made Benj visibly happy. ‘Oh I’ve missed the energy of Korean people!’ he said, beaming with a big smile.
Image: UK Gangjeong solidarity team
Unfortunately his planned visit to Wales to meet with British peace campaigner Angie Zelter, who was also arrested with Benj at the time of his deportation, and who is now barred from entering South Korea, could not go ahead due to heavy snow. Benji used his extra time in London to meet with an independent film maker, who had attended his talk, and who is working on a documentary on South Korea. He also made contact with a professor in another UK university who was keen to invite Benj to speak about the Jeju naval base. While at SOAS we met political rapper ‘Lowkey’, who asked lots of questions about the situation in Jeju, and the US military in South Korea, and took away Gangjeong Village news letters.
On a personal level, I was happy to spend more time Benj and deepen our friendship. We had lots of interesting discussions, and some pretty funny ones too. Over another Korean dinner, and some very good makkoli, we celebrated the great news that Yang Yoon Mo had ended this 52 day hunger strike in jail, and agreed this should encourage us to work harder for the ‘Free Yang Yoon Mo’ campaign.
It was great to have Benji with us in London. He definitely generated inspiration, and he continues the fight for Gangjeong, waking people up so they might join us.
Image: UK Gangjeong solidarity team
(Thanks so much, UK Gnagjeong solidarity team for the report and photos)
Guest Speakers; Benjamin Monnet. French activist who lived in Gangjeong for eight months before being violently (and illegally) deported for defending the beautiful coastline currently being destroyed.
Yoon Young Joon: ex SOAS, peace and human rights activist, visited Gangjeong last summer, and experienced first hand police violence to peaceful protestors.
Learn about the struggle to stop the US / South Korea naval base on Jeju Island, South Korea. Benjamin Monnet gives his personal reflections on joining the amazing ‘peace makers’ of Gangjeong village. As Obama pushes for a US military ‘Asia Pivot’, South Korea steps up political arrests and human rights abuses against its citizens and denies entry to NGO officials and international supporters. Meanwhile, a renowned film critic, jailed for his opposition to the naval base, approaches the 50th day of his hunger strike to demand justice.
An Illustrated talk and discussion open to SOAS students and the public. T shirts, books and jewellery from Gangjeong village, Jeju Island will be on sale and Village newsletters available.
Source: UK Solidarity team
A Letter to Deported Benj (Video by Dungree on April 18, 2012)
We called him, “Benj.’ The villagers used to call him, ‘Benjari,’ which sounds similar to the name of a fish, “jari,’ very common in the Jeju Island. It was Miryang, a village woman, who put him with such nickname. A villager poet, Kim Sung-Gyu wrote a poem for ‘Benjari,’ from the intimate feeling toward him. Benjamin Monnet, a French peace maker, as we often miss him now, has been our close friend. Despite the different language, he loves Gangjeong, Gureombi, and prays for the peace and lives of the Jeju. He first came to Gangjeong upon the moment of Women’s film festival in May, 2011. Since then, Gangjeong became a kind of his spiritual hometown.
His feeling on justice was very strong so because of it, he got the injunction order on March 14, 2012. He was inhumanly forcefully deported from Korea on March 15. On the day, a UK activist and Nobel Peace nominee, Angie Zelter, also got the order of forceful exit on her planned date (See more on it, here). It happened that three members of the Veterans for Peace of the United States were also violently deported on March 14 (See more on it, here). It was a time that the government, changing the chief of the Seogwipo Police station with a figure from the mainland, forcefully started to blast 10 % of the Gureombi Rock, on March 7, 2012. It was a time that 10 internationals had been arrested on Feb. 26 when they tried to enter the Gureombi Rock underneath a wire razor that was suddenly set up on Feb. 24, the 1st day of the Jeju International Peace Conference (20th anniversary of the Global Network against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space). See more on it here. The oppression on international peace activists around the time and since then have been remarkable. There have been at least 20 internationals that have been denied entries to South Korea, related to the issue of the naval base project in Gangjeong from Aug. 26, 2011 (See the summary on it, here)
Benj has continued supports on Gangjeong. In May 2012, we could see him with Seri in Paris for the solidarity protest with the struggle in Gnagjeong (See the video here)
Thanks to Seri who recently visited him, we could get his postcards to the Gangjeong Village international team, villagers and Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo. We share those here.
Remembering Benj
Photo by Lee Wooki
On March 12, 2012, he climbed up a crane with Kim Seri. He was arrested for the 3rd time and got the injunction order from the Immigration Office two days later. For the detailed situations, please click here. After injunction, he filed a suit against the Jeju Immigration Office for the ‘cancellation on the injunction and supervision orders,’ through representative of him. The first trial was on June 13, 202 (related Korean article). However, the Administrative department of the Jeju District Court dismissed his suit saying he did not have the qualification for an applicant on July 15, 2012(related article). The court said, “Mr. Monnet brought about not a little obstacles in the progress of the [Jeju naval base] project by joining many times in the opposition rallies against the [project] and has gotten the warnings on his long-term visit…The injunction order to devise for the interest and safety of a nation is never neither a excessive deviation nor abuse of discretionary power.” To the surprise, the judge was Mr. Oh Hyun-Kyu who made a sentence of direct arrest of Prof. Yang Yoon-Mo from the court on Feb. 1 (See here)
On March 12, Benj and Seri stopped the destruction of the Gureombi Rock for two hours in suim suits in cold weather. The beautiful site that they tried to keep has now become the ugly 3~4000 ton caisson production area. The navy eventually blasted the 10 % of the Gureombi Rock in the east and west parts of it during March and April last year. And It started to produce caissons for 24 hours since Oct. 25, 2012. However, we will restore the Gureombi Rock unless our hearts and determination disappear.
His message shows his continuous heart for the Gangjeong and Gureombi Rock. We thank and miss him, our brother!
2. Benj’s postcard to the Gangjeong Village international team and villagers
Dear Gangjeong International Team, Villagers
Kathmandu, Nepal
Feb. 17, 2013
Thanks to Seri, I have well received all your gifts. I truly appreciate it. So please receive some hand-made embroidered t-shirt of my creation. I was thinking to put them on website, Peace Center for the people to buy it. The proceedings of the sales could help to strengthen the movement or pay the court fines. What do you think? We can also sew a Korean version…I am searching for new ways to help Gangjeong. I am in contact with two French journalists who are ready to make a documentary about Gangjeong situation.
With patience, determination & Universal love, Benjari
3. Benj’s postcard to Yang Yoon-Mo
Photo of the postcard: Tashi R Ghale/ Tilicho lake, the highest lake in the world
Kathmandu, Nepal, 17 Feb. 13
Professor Yang,
I ignore where you are, But I heard you were surprisingly sentenced to jail for 18 months. I sent some t-shirts to Gangjeong with “Free Yang Yoon-Mo ♡“ embroidery. Hoping the people will buy it in solidarity with our resistance movement.
I remember when we were in the cell together, at Dongbu in March 2012.
You were practicing some kind of meditation.
As a meditator, I wish that inner-insight practices, will help you to pass sense fully through the term of your sentence-Concentrating on your breathing and observing your inner sensation to purify your mind. You will come out stronger.
Hopefully, the picture of this Himalaya landscape will inspire you-
With Patience, Determination, and universal love
Benjamin
Photo by Benj
“The struggle for Harmony continues.
~ FREE Pr YANG YOON MO ~
Here is a picture of Pr Yang holding a photo of the undercover police beating him, he said humorously to a villager: “Keep this photo, someday it will worth millions!”” (Benj)
4. T-shirts to people
The front side of t-shirt sent to mayor Kang Dong-Kyun. While the front is of the embroidary letters of “Why Crimes Against Humanity?,” the letters of ‘savejejunow.org’ is described at the end of a sleeve. One green T-shirt is of the embroidary letters of ‘Free Yang Yoon-Mo.’ Benj designed himself and asked embroidaries. As seen in the below photos, T-shirts for women are green while the T-shirts for men are blue and black.
The back side of T-shirt is the embroidary letter of “Jeju Island, Hiroshima, Himalaya.” In the right bottom of the image, it is signed in embroidary of ‘Benj’.
Photo by the Village International team/ On Feb. 28, Mr. Koh Gilchun, Jeju artist, and Oh Soon-Hee (Sister of the ‘Jiseul‘ movie director, Oh Myul ) Visited Yang-Yoon-Mo and showed him his t-shirts to the delight of Yang Yoon-Mo. Benj’s postcard to Prof. Yang was also delivered to him on the day.
5. Benj is always with us.
Photo by Gonyang/ Post by Paco Booyah
The banner hung in the background of the photo is what Benj designed and Mr. Lim Ho-Young (media team leader then) made a production for the Jeju International Peace Conference (the 20th anniversary of the Global Netwwork against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space) from Feb. 24 to 26, 2012. Whenever we see this banner, we always think of Benj
Photo by the village international team/ Benjamin Monnet and Angie Zelter in the Dongbu police station on March 14, 2012.Photo by the village international team/ On March 14, 2012, In front of the Dongbu Police station, Benjamin Monnet and Angie Zelter are met by the Jeju Immigration Officers who noticed them that they would carry the two to the Jeju Immigration Office to get investigated on the matter of deportation
[Immediate Release] Repeal the deportation order against BenjaminMonnet and Angie Zelter!
By the Gangjeong Village International Team, March 15, 2012
(Translated by Jooyea Lee. See the Korean statement here.)
On March 14th, Jeju District Public Prosecutor’s Office released 13 who had been arrested two days before, but requested an extension for the arrest of Ms. Seri Kim. At around 4:00 p.m., they transferred the French activist, Mr. Benjamin Monnet and the peace activist from the U.K., Angie Zelter, to Jeju Immigration on the basis that they would decide on deporting these two activists.
Lawyers for Democratic Lawyers’ Association, along with the Gangjeong International Team had previously met up with the three individuals at 10:00 a.m. Ms. Seri Kim was wearing a neck support for the injury that occurred when two Daerim contractors violently restrained her. In addition to her neck pain, Ms. Kim complained of pains on her left shoulder and also on her knees. The toes on her right foot were also twisted, according to her. At 2:00 p.m., Mr. Benjamin Monnet visited the local hospital, also complaining of the pains caused by injury when Daerim employees pushed him: on his legs; the back of his neck; muscle pains on his upper and lower back. The inside of his left knee occurred when Jeju coast guard overturned Mr. Monnet’s kayak and rapidly advanced the guards’ rubber boat. Doctor said it will take two weeks for the injury to heal completely.
On March 12th, both Ms. Seri Kim and Mr. Benjamin Monnet had crawled under into the barbed wire side of the Gureombi rocks, where they sustained 2 and half hours on an excavator, in order to avoid potential violence from the Daerim employees. As for Ms. Angie Zelter, she had cut the barbed wire—installed illegally by the Korean navy. The Police charged Ms. Kim for obstruction of business on March 12th, as well as for obstruction of traffic on March 7th—she had held out in front of the vehicles, which belonged to those who set barricades, to stop the blast). For Mr. Monnet, the police charged him with: unlawful interference with official duty (for the event that occurred on Feb. 27th); misdemeanor, infliction of injury, obstruction of business (March 12th). For Ms. Zelter, misdemeanor for entering into the construction site over the fence (March 9th); so called group damage with dangerous tool (* which means wire cutter to cut the wire razor fence) and misdemeanor (March 12th).
All these allegations are arbitrary and malicious interpretation/application of the law, considering the customary violence against the villagers and activists who protested against the naval base construction. No action has been taken towards Mr. Benjamin Monnet’s lawsuit against Daerim employees and the police respectively—Mr. Monnet was beaten on Nov. 9th 2011 by Daerim employees; and by the Police on Dec. 26th, 2011. On April 6th, 2011, despite the police assault against the film critic Mr. Yang Yoon-Mo, no investigation so far, as for the accountability. Mr. Monnet only pushed the policeman in order to protect himself, rather than injuring the police as he had been charged as such. As for the charges that were brought upon himself regarding the incidences on Feb. 27th and March 12th, Mr. Monnet strongly claims that they are lies and excessive charges.
On March 6th, Jeju Provincial Governor Mr. Woo Keun-Min, jointly with representatives of Jeju—both the ruling and the opposition parties—had requested the provisional pending on the Gureombi blast as well as for the construction itself, expressing regrets at the unreasonable execution of the construction with all the design errors. But the navy, ignoring the needs of these Island representatives forged ahead with the blast to destroy Gureombi—Korea’s one and only costal wetland and the bedrock inhabited by where rare flora and fauna; an area that deems to be connected to Gangjeong Stream that provides 70% of drinking water to Seogwipo residents. The construction site is the country’s only UNESCO soft coral habitats and also where Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins make appearances, which are designated by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as endangered species.
The three individuals—Seri Kim, Benjamin Monnet, and Angie Zelter—devoted themselves through consistently non-violent and peaceful measures under international law: the principles of peace: against the construction of naval base and militarization, they simply tried to prevent the destruction of the Earth through another military base.
But the Jeju Immigration Office, after investigating nearly three hours ordered deportation for Mr. Monnet at 8:00 pm, when ten Immigration Office employees entered the office. Female employees, as if they had been prepared to do so, started collecting evidence with their cameras. The three-hour investigation on Mr. Monnetwas all an act. Lawyers for Democratic Society representative, appalled by this, urgently raised the complaint but the staff arbitrarily transferred Mr. Monnet, unfed and still in his prisoner’s uniform. Their excuse was being that Mr. Monnet should be on the last flight out of Jeju.
Angie Zelter, who is also confined at the Jeju Immigration Office will be investigated around 3:00 p.m. on March 15th. Around 11:00 am or 1:30 pm, Seri Kim’s case will be examined to issue an arrest warrant against her. In solidarity with the film critic Mr. Yang Yoon-mo, Angie Zelter is temporarily fasting. Benjamin Monnet is also fasting in the prison of Hwasoon Immigration Office, Gyunggi province against illegal destruction of the Jeju naval base project and illegal arrest.
We strongly condemn the Lee Myung-bak government who, in addition to the illegal construction (destruction) and arrests, is forging ahead with the forceful deportation of international activists who are dedicating themselves to protect the Island of Peace, Jeju. Lee Myung-bak regime’s human rights abuses are unscrupulous, as it ignores the potential diplomatic criticism. In addition, the construction and the human rights violations in relation to the construction cannot be explained without the United States’ undue desire for domination as it tries to utilize the Jeju naval base as a springboard to contain China. It is also the move to undermine the international solidarity against the Jeju naval base construction. The struggles against the Jeju naval base construction has already evolved into international struggle. Capitalism and government and any other forces that resist the contemporary needs for peace cannot be sustained.
Immediately release those arrested and;
Repeal the deportation order against Benjamin Monnet and Angie Zelter;
Stop the illegal naval base construction immediately!
March 15th, 2012
Gangjeong International Team
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We have just heard that the entry by the three members of the Veterans for Peace, US. Who were supposed to visit the Gangjeong village on March 14 has also been denied. We strongly denounce the Lee Myung-Bak government who shamelessly commit violation on human rights internationally.
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Reference articles and videos
Video by Dungree: Letter to deported Benjamin (April 18, 2012)
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