31st, December, 2005

I just recieved a message that members from Hong Kong
Social Movement Resource Center (8A) are being/have been arrested by the
Police in Hong Kong currently. 8A is a direct action oriented social justice
group in Hong Kong that played a very active role in the recent anti-WTO
struggles. Our members overlap with TargetWTO, targetwto.revolt.org and been
working strongly in solidarity with migrant groups and s.korean farmers.

Thursday, 22 December 2005
By Walden Bello*

What was at stake in Hong Kong was the institutional survival of the World Trade Organization. After the collapse of two ministerials in Seattle and Cancun, a third unraveling would have seriously eroded the usefulness of the WTO as the key engine of global trade liberalization. A deal was needed, and that deal was arrived at. How, why, and by whom that deal was delivered was the real story of Hong Kong.

Dear friends, acquaintances, organizations, activists, allies,

On Dec 17/18, Hong Kong police arrested and detained about 1,000 anti-WTO
protesters. Human rights were abused and police used chemical weapons on
unarmed protesters. Police denied access to food, water, santitary
facilities to the 1,000 peaceful occupiers following the release of 5 tear
gas canisters. Police threatened more tear gas and rubber bullets to the

by Erika Larson; December 20, 2005

On 17th December 2005, a group of at least 1,500 people faced off with the Hong Kong police a mere block from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, where the 6th ministerial of the World Trade Organization was, at that moment, being conducted. Tension swelled as a contingent of South Korean women dressed in traditional costumes pounded out a fortifying tattoo on Korean drums and riot police swiveled high-power spotlights randomly through the crowd in an attempt to disorient the swelling ranks. Scarves were pulled over mouths and noses, saran wrap was stretched over uncovered eyes and eyeglasses, and then: action.

Friends and Comrades,

PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY

As you may have heard, the anti-WTO protests in the Wan Chai district of
Hong Kong got pretty heated on December 17th evening. Police dispersed
us using pepper spray, tear gas, and water cannons. Nine hundred Korean
activists have reportedly been arrested and there are at least 41 people
in hospital at the moment. They are threatening to revoke the permits

Kong Yee Sai Mau: The Battle of Hong Kong
By Pranjal Tiwari and David Solnit

Sat Dec 17, Hong Kong--It's 1:30 am in Hong Kong. We have just returned
to the house after being in the Hong Kong streets all afternoon and
evening in the most intense street battle that we have ever seen. We are
taking turns showering the teargas and pepper spray off as we write this
up. Farmers, workers, women's organizations, fisher folk, Hong Kong
youth, migrants and other movement people from Korea, across Asia and
around the world marched on, broke through several police lines to less
than a block from the site of the WTO conference center and laid siege
to it until we were dispersed with teargas and mass arrests tonight. We
have heard reports that as many as 900 have been arrested or detained
and we just got a cell call from an activist still surrounded in the
streets who was had been warned that the police will start to use rubber
bullets. Riot police have not been seen en masse on the streets of Hong
Kong for some 20 years, and this city will never be the same after tonight.

Police fight running battles with protesters and break up demos with tear gas as WTO negotiations reach climax

Tom Burgis and Jonathan Watts in Hong Kong
Sunday December 18, 2005
The Observer

Hong Kong was hit by its most violent street clashes in more than 30 years last night as riot police fought running battles with protesters on the penultimate day of World Trade Organisation talks.

Korean farmers take lemming-like plunge into Hong Kong harbour

Jonathan Watts in Hong Kong
Wednesday December 14, 2005
Guardian

In a bizarre waterborne protest yesterday, hundreds of South Korea's notoriously militant farmers stripped off to their boxer shorts, donned orange lifejackets and leapt into Hong Kong harbour in a back-door attempt to sink the world trade talks.

The lemming-like assault came amid an opening day demonstration that, contrary to the organisers' worst fears, saw only minor scuffles with ranks of riot police blocking the road to the conference centre.

All Indian People's Resistance Forum

In the ever increasing repression on people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, there have been two disturbing developments in the last couple of days.

The state police machinery began repression in the form of denial of permission to public meetings and unveiling of memorial statues, indiscriminate arrests, tortures, raids on villages and combings just after the first round of talks between the government and the CPI-Maoist and CPI (ML) Janashakti. The spate of encounter killings also started in January and within less than 90 days after the first "encounter" on January 6, the state police, particularly the infamous criminal force Grey Hounds, have killed more than 50 activists including a couple of persons working legally in public life.

March 17-2005-New Delhi

more at www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/pgaasia/pgaindia.htm

National Coordination of Farmers' Movements including KRRS, BKU and all the member organizations call for mobilization against WTO on March 17th -2005 in Kisan Ghat in New Delhi. .