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.