|
Police Invades Two Villages in Korea, Daechuri and Doduri, Demolishes over 60 Houses |
|
|
Written by (posted by) Jiyoung LeeAn
|
|
Saturday, 16 September 2006 |
 Courtesy of Hankyeoreh Police Invades Two Villages in Korea, Daechuri and Doduri, Demolishes over 60 Houses22,000 riot police and 450 contracted construction workers and thugs invaded and occupied two villages in Korea, Daechuri and Doduri around 7 a.m. on September 13. 68 of the 90 houses were destructed by them, but villagers successfully defended some houses.
Children were unable to go to school today because the police locked down the roads leading to town. The police kept elderly residents from entering their homes and fields, and 10 residents received minor injuries by the police and their contractors. Some of the contractors also insulted elderly residents who were fighting to stop the demolitions or to reach their homes. Many outside supporters were kept from entering the village by the police over the past several days, and 21 supporters who were trying to enter the village to defend were arrested this morning. But despite of the repression, villagers and supporters struggled all day to defend the village. The police's first target in Daechuri was the Human Rights house. Several human rights activists had tied themselves to the lookout tower on the roof of the house and threw out the ladder. And residents barricaded the building to keep the cops from coming up. But the police eventually climbed onto the roof, and dragged out activists and arrested them. But around 40 other people who climbed onto the roofs of other houses kept the police from destroying 13 houses in Daechuri.
At one house right next to the entrance to the village, police was stopped for hours by two people sitting on the pointed top of the house's sloping roof. The house was surrounded by villagers. After several attempts to force the activists down failed, police promised to let them go free (and then they destroy the house) if they come down on their own. But from the previous attacks, villagers already learned that police never keep the promise. Eventually the police gave up and left the house.
Residents now will probably try to reorganize themselves and continue to prepare for any future attacks. Residents and supporters across Korea will also continue to organize the national march in Seoul on September 24 (and supporters in other countries will continue to prepare for solidarity actions for the same day). Hopefully there will be plenty of solidarity actions on September 24 in other countries, too.
http://antigizi.or.kr/english/ |