By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
The Korean government should respect the freedom of those taking to the streets to protest over U.S. beef imports, Amnesty International's Seoul office said on Wednesday.
It said it was considering sending a letter of protest to President Lee Myung-bak.
The criticism came on the same day that Amnesty International ㅡ the world's largest human rights watchdog ㅡ blamed Korean government in its 381-page annual report released internationally for suppressing freedom of expression and opinion.
``We believe the Education Ministry's policy of preventing young students from attending U.S beef protests could be a violation of human rights, along with the police's move to detain protestors.'' Go Eun-tae, chairman of Amnesty International's Korean unit, said in a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul.
The annual report said migrant workers in Korea continue to have limited protection or redress against discrimination.
``Many are detained in poor conditions,'' the agency said.
Noting that there was more than 500,000 migrant workers in Korea as of last November, including at least 230,000 irregular migrant labors, it said the 2003 Act Concerning the Employment Permit for Migrant Workers, which was enacted in 2003 so as to protect foreign labors' human rights, had failed to provide adequate safeguards against discrimination and abuse.
``Thousands of irregular migrants workers were arrested, detained and immediately deported. Some were detained for months for administrative reasons or whilst attempting to recover unpaid salaries,'' it said.
The report draws attention to a tragic fire at a detention center in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, last year which left 10 foreigners dead and 17 others severely injured.
``While the relatives of those killed in the fire received compensation, the other detainees were promptly deported to their home countries, many without any compensation or recourse to unpaid wages,'' the report said.
Amnesty International's Report 2008, shows that 60 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations, people are still tortured or ill-treated in at least 81 countries, face unfair trials in at least 54 countries and are not allowed to speak freely in at least 77 countries.