Sunday, November 23, 2008


INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-JAPAN/SOUTH KOREA:
SEND GREETINGS TO EAST ASIAN ANTI-MILITARISTS:
The following request comes via the Asian Anarchist Network and concerns a forum on anti-militarism soon to be held in Japan. It has been slightly edited for English grammar.
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[AAN-Global] call for your message to the forum on abolition of military South Korea and Japan‏:
Dear international activists,
I was asked to send out this message.
many thanks,
Catbloc
SEND YOUR MESSAGE for the FORUM on ABOLITION of the MILITARY in SOUTH KOREA and JAPAN
"The military can be abolished if South Korea, Japan and USA do it together."
Kang We-suck (South Korean draft dodger)
A Japanese collective PANDA (Peace and No Draft Alliance) is inviting a South Korean draft-dodger Kang We-suck for the forum on "Abolition of the military: Its possibility in Japan and South Korea."
PANDA calls out to anti-war/anti-military activists around the world to send your solidarity messages to support the forum held on 13th December in Tokyo. We would like to share your messages with participants.
In this forum, PANDA aims at stimulating dialogue towards the abolition of the military through grassroots movements and thoughts in two societies (and beyond). We will have two speakers: Kang, fighting for abolition of the military in South Korea, and Sono, a young Japanese activist who is working against the state's attack on the pacifist Constitution and is also taking part in the upsurge of precariate union movements.
Send your message to
*No later than 10th December..(Japan Standard Time)
Who is Kang We-suck?
Kang has committed himself to various protests since his high school years when he went on a hunger strike against the compulsory curriculum on religion. Since coming of conscription age, he is currently working on against the draft and the military. Most recently, he disrupted the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of South Korean Army by running into the tank pageant completely naked.
His action stirred up a controversy in the South Korean society:
* What can we do if North Korea attacks us?
* How could we deal with the former-coloniser Japan's militarisation tendency?
* How could we carry out the responsibility of defending our land?
About PANDA
In August 2007, having encountered with South Korean students who opposed the military draft system, PANDA organised the first workshop where a person who had just completed the conscription term told a story of bullying and physical punishment in the military.
In April 2008, we had another workshop in which two draft dodgers who had ended up in prison due to their evasion and their Korean supporters shared their experiences. We have continued in networking grassroots anti-military movements between Japan and South Korea so as to set the third time workshop in December.
Website

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