Asia's authorities prepare for May Day protests

Asia's authorities prepare for May Day protests

Eric Van Zant, Agence France-Presse, Hong Kong, China

Fear of globalization among Asia's recession-weary workers could
fire up traditional May Day protests on Wednesday, with security
forces across the region taking no chances.

Police will be out in force in Australia, where anarchists,
Trotskyists, and anti-capitalist demonstrators are promising
animated celebrations again after violent clashes last year, and
in Indonesia, where 7,000 police will patrol Jakarta's streets.

However, celebrations in the region's remaining communist
states could be subdued with the Chinese looking forward to a
week of holidays and shopping, while in Vietnam the event has
long been overshadowed by the anniversary of the 1975 victory in
the Vietnam War on April 30.

In Sydney, activists of many stripes are planning a "militant
blockade" against numerous organizations, including the offices
of the Australasian Correctional Management (ACM) which runs
immigration detention centers.

A spokeswoman said the focus of the protest would be the
government's policy of mandatory detention, global capitalism and
Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.

"It's become a struggle against so many things ... May 1 is a
convergence of all these issues and in a sense we're protesting
for a different world, one that puts people before profits and
respects human rights, justice and equality for all," she said.

In Jakarta, police spokesman Chief Commissioner Anton Bachrul
Alam said 7,000 police will be deployed, with 47 groups applying
for demonstration permits.

An Indonesian labor leader on Monday called on workers to skip
work and demonstrate instead, while activists in city of Medan,
North Sumatra, have been handing out leaflets also urging workers
to strike.

In the Philippines, some 6,000 anti-riot police, backed by a
special military task force, will guard the presidential palace
in Manila, which came under attack last year.

Supporters of detained ex-president Joseph Estrada marched on
the palace May 1, 2001, and began rioting when his successor,
President Gloria Arroyo, called in troops after they tried to
storm the gates. Four people were killed and 100 injured or
arrested. They plan another march on the palace on Wednesday, but
insist they will not resort to violence.

In Singapore, police warned on Tuesday of "firm action"
against opposition leader Chee Soon Juan if he pushes ahead with
an illegal May Day rally.

Chee, leader of the Singapore Democratic Party, had applied
for a permit to hold the rally in front of the Istana
presidential residence but was turned down by the authorities.

On the Korean peninsula some 50,000 workers belonging to South
Korea's Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) will rally in 10
cities, while another 10,000 members of the Korean Confederation
of Trade Unions (KCTU) will be out in Seoul.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, only declared May 1 a holiday after
reverting to Chinese rule in 1997. Labour unions, with
unemployment at a record seven percent, plan a protest calling
for a minimum wage and collective bargaining power.

Beijing, for its part, has cast aside May Day rallies in favor
of more capitalist pursuits like shopping and tourism. Two years
ago the government introduced a week-long holiday beginning May
1, alongside similar breaks for Lunar New Year and National Day
in October.

In Vietnam, banners bearing the communist hammer and sickle
flew from lamposts and buildings, but no public events were
scheduled to mark the annual workers' holiday.

Celebrations will also be quiet in Tokyo, where nearly one
million workers already kicked off May Day protests Saturday with
a call to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to safeguard jobs in
the face of near-record unemployment.

Malaysia's largest labor movement urged the government to mark
May Day by protecting the rights of workers, ensuring workers'
old age savings are safeguarded and enhancing employment
opportunities.

A Labor Congress of Thailand official said, meanwhile, that
some 2,000 representatives from across the country will rally at
the royal Sanam Luang grounds in Bangkok, and submit a letter to
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra calling for better work
conditions.

And in Taiwan, hundreds of aboriginals on the southeastern
Orchid Island, plan an anti-nuclear protest Wednesday demanding
the government remove tens of thousands of barrels of low-
radiation nuclear waste temporarily stored there.