John Tsang, Chairman of the Hong Kong WTO conference, summed up the mood of the official deliberations when he told a final press briefing (with upfront apologies to the Beatles) that, “It’s been a hard day’s night and I have been working like a dog.”
Ministers of the 148 countries that make up the WTO spent a gruelling 100 hours on talks and negotiations to arrive at a consensus that could be articulated in the final declaration. And while Tsang thanked the people of Hong Kong for their patience and support in coping so admirably with some of the difficulties and inconveniences that inevitably flow from an event of this size and complexity, he condemned in the most uncompromising terms the behaviour of some groups of protesters on the streets of Hong Kong.
It has now become commonplace for protest marches, sloganeering and demonstrations from the anti-WTO camp to accompany any WTO Ministerial. More than 10,000 protestors descended on Hong Kong to voice their protest against the negative impact of the WTO on the lives of ordinary people.
Organisations that spearheaded the campaign were La Via Campesina, Korean Advance Farmers’ Federation, Korean Peasant International League of People’s Struggle, YMCA, National Centre for Labour, Coalition of International Workers, Peoples’ Caravan, Cecondecon, Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, HNAG Japan, Solidar (People’s Progressive Forum), Hidur Rakyat (Indonesian Civil Society), Korean Catholic Farmers Movement, and the World Social Forum.
Day 1
The protestors organised themselves in Victoria Park which was the centre of the protest action. Two stages were set up from where speakers from different organisations spoke vehemently about the plight of farmers and other stakeholders in the new trade liberalisation regime of the WTO. They spewed venom at the management of the WTO, dominated by rich developed countries that were trying to privatise world resources and the wealth of the world. The park echoed with protest songs and battle cries. The women’s organisation WELGA led a women’s march against poverty and globalisation.
There was a carnival-like atmosphere here, very different from the sober deliberations at the convention centre where the Ministerial was being held. Right from day 1, there were marches through the streets of the city spearheaded by La Via Campesina and International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS). The park was decked with multi-colour posters and pictures. There were makeshift camps run by different organisations, which held discussions and seminars throughout the six days of the Ministerial.
The camp that attracted the most attention was the Korean Advance Farmers’ Federation, with their traditional folk songs and skits, including a pig fight and a chicken fight that symbolised their dissent against the unfair trade practices of some rich developed countries. Two farmers, Han Do Sook and Hand Orgu Kyung, jumped impulsively into the cold waters of the harbour, close to the convention centre, in desperation at their current plight and seriously concerned about their future.
Day 2
The protests continued on the second day. ‘Dump WTO’ was the strong sentiment against the negotiating framework. The International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) accused developed countries, especially the EU and US, of terrorising and plundering the world. The slogans summed it up: ‘Junk WTO’ and ‘Ten Years of WTO: A Decade of Plunder and War’.
The farmers’ organisation La Via Campesina organised a conference and discussion on ‘People’s Food Sovereignty First: Stop the Doha Round’. It called on developing country farmers to prevail upon the WTO to leave agriculture out of its deliberations, as WTO policies were killing farmers in poor countries. They organised a cultural programme to highlight the plight of farmers around the world who are under great stress as they fight unfair trade rules. There was a plea not to exploit world resources, summed up in the slogan ‘Our world is not for sale’.
Concerns about public health were raised as the trend to privatise health services gains ground under the WTO-IMF regime. The women’s organisation GABRIELLA raised concerns about the slavery of Philippine women displaced by the growth in trade. It called for a moratorium on trade negotiations to assess the impact of trade liberalisation on women and developing countries and, if possible, reverse the devastation caused by liberalisation and globalisation.
The ILPS held a rally and a candlelight protest in the city to emphasise the menace the WTO poses to farmers and poor workers. It stressed that people are more important than profit, and that this should be the main focus of trade agreements. Farmers’ organisations believed that no deal is better than a bad deal -- for them it is a question of life or death. They recounted their sufferings in the 10 years of the WTO regime, and demanded a break from the imperialist designs of the US and the major corporate industries that rule global agricultural trade. Korean farmers staged protests and tonsured themselves outside the US consulate; some even broke into the office.
Focus on Global South stressed the tyranny of free trade, wasted natural resources and loss of livelihood. It called for an end to the haggling by the IMF and the World Bank and said that another world is possible, a world that cares for workers, and trade that works for workers.
Although the protests were peaceful, considerable anger was displayed against the indifference of developed country leaders towards the concerns of Africa, developing and least developed countries that clearly outnumber developed countries in the multilateral negotiations.
Day 3
The campaigning was more intense on the third day, with South Korean organisations being particularly vocal. They took part in a physically punishing drill of walking three steps, bowing, and then walking again, right from Victoria Park to the Hong Kong convention centre, the venue of the Ministerial. The WTO, they said, has blocked its ears and closed its eyes to the woes of the vast majority of South Korean farmers. Farmers who jumped into the cold sea without knowing how to swim said the WTO was doing the same thing to them: pushing them into unchartered waters without a life jacket. Korean farmers face high debts and plunging farm incomes, and are resorting to suicide and other desperate measures.
There was a demand from fisherfolk from various countries around the world that fisheries be kept out of the ambit of the WTO as it would destroy their livelihood.
A public assembly was held to discuss issues such as keeping GATS out of the WTO, linking human rights violations with the WTO, and the plight of migrant workers in Asian countries (‘No to Commodification of Migrants!’).
Day 4
Korean farmers continued their ‘Down Down WTO’ protests that spread to every part of the city. They caused chaos on the city’s footpaths and were finally prevented from going beyond Causeway Bay. Some members of the South Korean Farmers’ Federation and teachers groups shaved their heads in protest outside the US consulate and held up anti-US posters.
The Bangladesh group held a protest march that coincided with the country’s Liberation Day, on December 16. They voiced their anger at developed countries’ neglect of least developed countries in the current round of trade negotiations. A women’s group expressed frustration at the manner in which the local textile industry, which employs a large number of women, had been badly affected in the post-WTO era. They called the WTO an “unfair trade platform”.
Artists, cartoonists and sculptors were busy showing their interpretations of the WTO in the park. There were statues of the ‘Caravan of the Malnourished’, and one tabloid attracted wide attention with its drawing of a cow hanging from the sky, depicting the mad cow disease that was infecting fair trade. ‘Stop the madness of subsidies’ the slogan read. Jens Galshiots’ copper sculptures dotted the park. One was a dramatic presentation of 12 starving children that was carried in the marches. Justitia (the western goddess of justice) was shown as an old woman mounted on the back of a famished man. The caption said: “I’m sitting on the back of a man. He is sitting under the burden. I would do anything to help him -- except stepping down from his back.” Alongside was a line that said ‘Survival of the fattest’.
The Indonesian delegation exhibited wax products at the fair. The country’s handicraft industry is facing its worst crisis since liberalisation. One Indonesian farmer attempted to jump into the sea but was stopped by the civil authorities.
Day 5
The protests reached a peak soon after the draft text was released on the evening of the fifth day. The Korean farmers intensified their tirade, running through the streets of Hong Kong. A girl protestor jumped into the sea. Many city roads were deserted as the police diverted traffic to alternative routes. The convention centre was a fortress guarded by anti-riot police.
The IILS stormed the Wan Chai district and laid siege to the convention centre, but were blocked by the police that used teargas and pepper spray. Their anger was directed specifically at the US: ‘US number one terrorist’ went the slogan. The mob turned violent, threw bottles and fought with flagpoles and sticks. The exhibition centre and all offices close to the convention centre were sealed off, and movement within Wan Chai district restricted. Delegates and participants were locked in the convention centre till late into the night, while protesters sat outside on the road. Over 70 protestors were injured in police action, and more than 300 Korean farmers arrested.
Day 6
There was no let up in the demonstrations on the final day, with demands for the release of the detained Korean farmers. The crowd tried to break the police cordon around the convention centre, tore up the draft text of the WTO, and burnt effigies of US President George Bush.
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