By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Amnesty International will dispatch an inspector to look into the candlelit rallies by protestors against the U.S. beef imports over concerns of excessive use of force against demonstrators by the government.
It will be the first time the international human rights group will send an inspector to South Korea for a specific investigation apart from its regular visits twice a year.
``We requested an immediate investigation by Amnesty International headquarters into the overuse of force in the government's crackdown on protestors in the candlelit vigils,'' Kim Hee-jin, director of Amnesty International Korea, said. ``Amnesty International has also acknowledged the necessity as there have been numerous requests from citizens.''
Norman Kang Muico, researcher of Amnesty International, will arrive here Friday, flying from the headquarters in London, and stay for about two weeks for an official investigation.
He will check into the government's violent measures such as the use of fire extinguishers, water cannons and liquid tear gas on demonstrators and arrests of peaceful protestors, she said.
``Amnesty International sees the government's harsh crackdown on demonstrators as an infringement on human rights,'' she said.
Amnesty International has issued an official statement twice to call for the government to stop excessive use of violence against protestors in rallies. The group's secretary general, Irene Khan, has sent a formal letter to President Lee Myung-bak over the issue.