S. Korea: Protests turn violent near APEC venue(Photos of Pinkos Acting Up)

Reuters ^ | 11/18/05 | Jack Kim

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Protests turn violent near APEC venue

By Jack Kim

36 minutes ago

Thousands of farm activists and union workers hurled bottles in a clash with police near a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders on Friday and had to be quelled by water cannon.

The clash broke out about two km (1.2 miles) from the convention center where leaders from 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies were meeting.

About 2,000 farmers and farm activists and 3,000 union workers took to the streets of Pusan to denounce APEC, the World Trade Organization and U.S. President George W. Bush, who was attending the leaders' meeting.

Organizers had hoped as many as 100,000 would attend. They said police had turned back busloads of people on highways before they even got to Pusan.

Nearly 30,000 police were deployed in and around the summit. When several hundred protesters who made it to the city tried to get to the venue by pushing past a police line they were stopped.

"We want to hurt them and we want them to hurt us," a farmer from just north of the port city said, as he brandished a weighty three-meter (10-foot) bamboo stick, his face masked with a red handkerchief and his breath smelling of South Korean rice wine.

The protesters threw rocks and bottles and propelled them with bamboo sticks and metal rods. Police repelled the assaults with shields and fired high-pressure sea water.

The protesters failed to break through a make-shift police barricade of ocean-liner cargo containers and cross a bridge on to the grounds of the convention center.

A handful of riot police officers were taken away by ambulance with injuries from rocks thrown by the protesters, some the size of a volleyball, police said.

The protest dispersed after two hours.

The farmers were rallying against a bill being considered by South Korea's parliament to increase incrementally foreign access to the country's rice market, as well as global trade talks such as those under the World Trade Organization.

"No to Bush, No to APEC. No to rice market opening. No to the WTO," they shouted as they marched through Pusan. Some older farmers had tears in their eyes as their voices rang out.

Leaders at the two-day APEC summit are working to revive a round of WTO talks that have stalled due to resistance to measures to liberalize global agricultural trade.

"WTO is an evil, dirty party," said Moon Kyung-sik, the chairman of the Korea Peasants' League.

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What they can do even without the full moon

	South Korean riot policemen stand guard against protesters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Kyongju November 17, 2005. Several hundred demonstrators gathered on Thursday to protest against the United States. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
	South Korean anti-riot police officers patrol a street in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005. Security has been tightened at venues in Busan, where some 46,000 security personnel has been deployed to patrol the area. About 100,000 protesters are expected to hold anti-APEC summit rallies near the venue on Friday. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel)
	A student protestor clashes with riot police during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Pusan, South Korea on November 18, 2005. Several hundred student protestors carrying sticks, some showing banners and placards, were in a stand-off with riot police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	Student protesters attack a riot policeman after penetrating police barriers blocking the route to the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Pusan, South Korea, November 18, 2005. Thousands protested outside the site as hundreds clashed with police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	An injured riot policemen is carried away after protestors penetrated through police barriers blocking the route to the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Pusan, South Korea on November 18, 2005. Thousands protested outside the site as hundreds of protesters clashed with police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	A protester attacks a riot policeman after penetrating through police barriers blocking the route to the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Pusan, South Korea, November 18, 2005. Thousands protested outside the site as hundreds clashed with police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	Riot policemen spraying protestors with water fall to the ground after protestors pulled their barricades with ropes while trying to get closer to the site of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Pusan, South Korea on November 18, 2005. Thousands protested outside the site as hundreds of protesters clashed with police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	Riot policemen spraying protestors with water fall to the ground after protestors pulled their barricades with ropes while trying to get closer to the site of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Pusan, South Korea on November 18, 2005. Thousands protested outside the site as hundreds of protesters clashed with police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	Riot police block the route of hundreds of armed protestors as they try to penetrate towards the site of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Pusan, South Korea on November 18, 2005. Hundreds of thousands of anti-APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Coorperation) protesters rallied on Friday. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	A South Korean protester attacks riot policemen during an anti-APEC protest near a venue for the economic meeting in Pusan, southeast of Seoul, November 18, 2005. Hundreds of thousands of anti-APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Coorperation) protesters rallied on Friday. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
	Riot policemen block the route of hundreds of armed protestors who are trying to penetrate the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Pusan, South Korea, November 18, 2005. Thousands protested outside the site as hundreds clashed with police. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
	South Korean protesters clash with riot policemen at a rally against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Pusan, south of Seoul November 18, 2005. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
	A South Korean protester stands during a water canon attack during a clash with riot policemen at a rally against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Pusan, south of Seoul, November 18, 2005. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
	South Korean protesters clash with riot policemen at a rally against the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Pusan, south of Seoul, November 18, 2005. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)
	Riot police spray water hoses at protesters attempting to break through a barricade to reach a summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and raise their grievances against free trade in Busan, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. A group of some 4,000 protesters had marched through the port city before reaching the blockade. The demonstrators dispersed after several hours near the venue that saw clashes between some of the crowd and police. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
	Anti-American protesters and riot police fought pitched battles in the streets of Busan as thousands of people rallied against the APEC summit.(AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan)
	South Korean protesters throw stones against riot police as a group of protesters attempt to break through a barricade to reach a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and raise their grievances against free trade in Busan, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. About 4,000 protesters had marched through the port city before reaching the blockade of shipping containers placed by police in a road near the convention center where the summit is being held. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
	Anti-American protesters and riot police fought pitched battles in the streets of Busan as thousands of people rallied against the APEC summit.(AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan)
	Anti-American protesters and riot police fought pitched battles in the streets of Busan as thousands of people rallied against the APEC summit.(AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan)
	Anti-American protesters and riot police fought pitched battles in the streets of Busan as thousands of people rallied against the APEC summit.(AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
	South Korean riot policemen gather as they prepare for clashes with anti-APEC protester near a venue for the economic meeting in Pusan, southeast of Seoul, November 18, 2005. Hundreds of thousands of anti-APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Coorperation) protesters rallied in Pusan on Friday. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
	A South Korean protester attacks riot policemen during an anti-APEC protest near a venue for the economic meeting in Pusan, southeast of Seoul, November 18, 2005. Hundreds of thousands of anti-APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Coorperation) protesters rallied in Pusan on Friday. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
	A protester is soaked in water sprayed by Riot police as a group of protesters attempt to break through a barricade to reach a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and raise their grievances against free trade in Busan, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. A group of some 4,000 protesters had marched through the port city before reaching the blockade. The demonstrators dispersed after several hours near the venue that saw clashes between some of the crowd and police. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
	Riot police spray water hoses at protesters attempting to break through a barricade to reach a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and raise their grievances against free trade in Busan, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. Tens of thousands of security forces have been deployed around the summit venue and beachside hotels where leaders are staying. (AP Photo/Wally Santana)
	South Korean riot police stand guard during an anti-Bush and anti-APEC protest in the vecinity of convention center where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being held in Busan,South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. Tens of thousands of security forces have been deployed around the summit venue and beachside hotels where leaders are staying. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel)
	South Korean protesters try to remove containers that stand between them and riot police during an anti-Bush and anti-APEC protest in the vecinity of convention center where the Asia Paciric Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being held in Busan, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 18, 2005. A group of some 4,000 protesters had marched through the port city before reaching the blockade. The demonstrators dispersed after several hours near the venue that saw clashes between some of the crowd and police. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel)

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Ping!

[Zenith]

Brought to you by REUTERS, In their never ending thrust for proving the World should do as they say !!

[Kokojmudd]

Good thing they held the conference in Pusan. Traffic congestion in Pusan is the greatest deterrent to rioting ever devised!

[Pookee]

What are these riot police armed with, feather dusters? It looks like they are getting their teeth kicked in.

[Poundstone]

South Korea is one of the armpits of the world. Be glad you're not there.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #4

I think you are right. It has a terrible traffic situation.

[RaginRak]

I was considering buying a Kia...but now!
Screw 'em

[Chi-townChief]

Looks like business as usual in Dae Han Min Guk.

[DocJ69]

My son teaches English in Pusan. He emailed me saying that they were mainly pro-commie demostaters from the University, and he said they were not anti-american as the US press makes out they want more money for there products and the Unions want more control of the factories. He said, what we are seeing via pictures is for pormotional value.

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Re #10

Many of them are farmers against opening the domestic market for agricultural products. However, unions leaderships are hardcore pinkos. Their agenda is more than having better say in running their company. Unions dues help pay for many leftist rallies, such as opposing S. Korean troop deployment to Iraq, which has nothing to do with their stated union business.

Union goons and students are hardcore pinkos trying to exploit farmer's anger to propel their anti-American and anti-globalization agenda.