save PT farmers	pm.11:11, Sunday ( 719hit )
	Amnesty International Press Release

LIBRARY  ASIA-PACIFIC AI Index: ASA 25/001/2006        17 March 2006 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE AI Index: ASA 25/001/2006 (Public) News Service No: 067 17 March 2006 South Korea: Elderly farmers forcibly evicted for US army base Several human rights activists are being detained after protesting at the forced eviction by riot police of elderly villagers in Pyongtaek, in the north west of South Korea. Their village is subject to an eviction order to allow for the expansion of a neighbouring US army base, Camp Humphreys. The residents of Daechuri village, mostly farmers in their 60s and 70s, suffered bloodied noses and were pushed over while resisting the latest eviction attempt on 15 March and during an earlier attempt to evict them on 6 March. They say the compensation offered will not be enough to buy equivalent land elsewhere and their livelihoods are at stake. "Most of these villagers are very old and it is distressing to hear of force being used against them," said Rajiv Narayan, East Asia researcher at Amnesty International. "Given their age, the police should take special care to ensure they are not hurt and to allow prompt medical treatment if they are -- which does not appear to have been the case so far." Several protesters were arrested on 15 March, including prominent human rights activist Park Lae-goon of Sarangbang Group for Human Rights and Cho Baek-ki of the Catholic Human Rights Committee. Park Lae-goon was arrested while sitting in front of the village school; Cho Baek-ki was trying to stop a forklift truck being used in the evictions. Both men are still detained in local police stations, charged with preventing government officials carrying out orders. "The government must release all those detained for peacefully protesting against these forced evictions," said Rajiv Narayan. A consultation carried out before the eviction did not result in the farmers' concerns being taken into account, and appeared to be mainly for show, according to those protesting the eviction. Protesters have complained that the Ministry of National Defence, which initiated the request for an eviction order, acted unilaterally in deciding on an eviction deadline and was not prepared to listen to the needs of the residents. "Any eviction on the current terms would leave the farmers in an extremely vulnerable position with few opportunities to make a living," said Rajiv Narayan. "We urge the government to carry out a fresh consultation. It should ensure the villagers are not left homeless and give them reasonable compensation and alternative farming land close to their new homes." There were reports of at least 50 police buses being present during the forced evictions, but it was not clear how many riot police officers were deployed to evict the residents of Daechuri, who number over 1,000. Protesters requested ambulances when some of the elderly villagers were injured after being pushed to the ground, but the riot police ignored their request. Background In December 2004 the Korean government planned to give an extra 2,851 acres to the US Army base Camp Humphreys in Kyonggi province. In December 2005 the government's Land Expropriation Committee approved the 'imminent domain' seizure of the village of Daechuri, a move which made the farmers' existence on their land illegal. After a consultation led by the Ministry of National Defence, the residents of Daechuri were offered a lump sum in compensation, determined on a low estimation of the value of their land. The area is reclaimed from tidal flats, meaning the land price was already low compared to other farming areas. It would be almost impossible to buy equivalent areas of land for subsistence farming with the lump sum offered. In February 2006 a national campaign protesting the forced eviction of the farmers was launched. For more information, please see http://www.geocities.com/savePTfarmers/home. Public Document **************************************** For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org

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No	Subject	Name	Date	Hit
26	[urgent action alert] They're going to cut water tomorrow	dope	06-04-05	739
25	Release Korean Human Rights Activists, Park, Raegoon and Cho, Baeki, Arrested for Protesting Expansion of U.S Military Base in Pyeongtaek	nobasept	06-03-21	2296
24	Site Updated	savePTfarmers	06-03-20	741
	Amnesty International Press Release	save PT farmers	06-03-19	719
22	spring farming has begun	save PT farmers	06-03-18	1467
21	more than 40 arrested today, the situation is urgent!!	dope	06-03-16	1571
20	Attempt to Destroy the Fields Defeated. Help Needed for Tomorrow!	jepu	06-03-16	596
19	Renewed Attack on the Autonomous Village of Daechuri to Begin Today	save pt farmers	06-03-14	581
18	Autonomous Village Under Siege by Korean Troops	dope	06-03-14	658
17	The South Korean Government is Dispossessing of the Farmers Lands for the Expansion of the US military base.	greenkorea	06-03-06	596
16	"Let us farm this year"	nobasept	06-03-03	578
15	Base Expansion in Pyongtaek Equals Forced Removal from the Land!	dope	06-02-28	2218

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