Thousands of protesters slam Asia-European summit

Anti-globalization protesters in Seoul

Compiled by Eamon Martin

Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 20— On Thursday, thousands of protesters staged a boisterous anti-globalization rally as Asian and European leaders gathered in Seoul for a cross-continental summit. In a series of lively demonstrations against the Asia-Europe Meetings (ASEM), South Koreans linked up with the worldwide people’s movement against corporate tyranny. Authorities deployed 30,000 riot and plainclothes police to marshal the meeting, which brought together 25 leaders of Asian and European Union nations to discuss closer cooperation between their regions. During the day, some 400 protesters fought running street battles with the police.

The demonstrations were organized by a coalition of workers, farmers, urban poor, students and a host of civic and religious groups, represented by the People’s Rally Committee, Citizens Action and the Min-gan Forum. The coalition focused on the impact of local and global exploitation on South Korea’s workers and the environment, which took a ferocious turn when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed “structural adjustment programs” as conditions for an astronomical loan brokered after the Asian economic crisis of 1996. These effects, referred to as “free market neo-liberalism” in the euphemistic parlance of economics, have included: privatization, mass layoffs, job casualization, the bankruptcy of farmers exposed to global markets, “efficiency”-driven education policies, and the dismantling and sale to overseas companies of South Korean industry.

The first ASEM, which opened in Bangkok in 1996, represented attempts by European free marketeers to gain a greater foothold in Asia and gain economic leverage against the United States. As economic liberalization in South Korea and other industrialized Asian economies has escalated following the $58 billion dollar IMF bailout, European multinationals have been eyeing state-owned Korean firms put up for sale.

The protest was convened without police approval and when it began marching, police tried to contain it. The police eventually succeeded in stopping the march altogether, following violent clashes. Earlier, at 2pm, about 10,000 people mobilized for the main protest in which speakers from France and Ireland were warmly welcomed. In particular, Pierre Rousset from the French organization ATTAC (Action for a Tobin Tax to Assist the Citizen) struck a chord with his message that workers in Europe and South Korea are fighting the same struggle against corporate globalization. Activists responded with cheers, holding up placards blasting ASEM for promoting a US-led, globalization movement of Western imperialism. The spirit of internationalism was strong. There were repeated statements by all speakers that the day of action, to be named “O20,” was a continuation of the protests in Seattle, Washington, Melbourne and Prague. Many placards and banners were written in English for the benefit of international media.

After the rally, the people marched and attempted to approach the conference site but were stopped 1,000 yards from the summit venue by 8,000 helmeted riot police backed by two water cannons and armored riot vehicles. Huge garbage tanks were placed across the street to block the march. On Thursday, riot police sealed off all public access within 1.2 miles of the sprawling ASEM site.

“Is this a country which has received a Nobel prize?’’ the protesters shouted as they were aggressively pushed away by riot police, armed with helmets, shields and meter-long batons.

South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, who received the Nobel Peace Prize last week for his diplomatic efforts toward North Korea, was the host of the summit.

After a 40 minute standoff with the police, protesters marched to a demonstration held in Seoul’s Olympic Park.

Sources: Greenleft Weekly, Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France Presse

Hunt rejects citizen views on air pollution

Statement of WNC Alliance

Asheville, Oct. 23— A new report from Abt Associates, an independent research firm, announced that North Carolina ranks 6th in the nation for per capita mortality due to particulate air pollution from coal-fired plants. The same report shows that the Asheville area ranks 6th in the nation for per capita mortality among municipal areas. Nitrogen Oxide emissions, which will be regulated by a controversial new ruling by NC’s Environmental Management Commission, as well as sulfate emissions from coal-fired power plants create the majority of the particulate pollution.

“This is a shocking revelation about the vulnerability of our people to massive emissions from coal-fired plants,” says Hope Taylor, Exec. Director of Clean Water Fund of NC, “It makes it all the more painful to know that Governor Hunt and the utilities felt they were entitled to sideswipe the will of the people calling for science-based pollution reductions.”

Statistics and maps in the study show the greatest health effects and death rates attributable to coal-fired power plants centered around the North Carolina-Tennessee region.

Last week, NC’s Environmental Management Commission (EMC) passed new regulations to manage Nitrogen Oxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. Over 11,000 NC citizens (97% of those who commented) supported the proposal of the NC Clean Air Coalition (NCCAC) during the public comment period earlier this year, representing the largest public comment on an environmental regulation in North Carolina’s history. The NCCAC proposal called for reducing NOx emissions to a limit of 23,000 tons per year.

The overwhelming support for meeting the 23,000 ton emission limit is due to recommendations from independent scientific studies that determined that NC must reduce NOx emissions to this level in order to begin to achieve the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for NOx pollution.

Instead of passing a 23,000 ton limit, the EMC passed much lower reductions that will not bring NC in line with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard, at least not anytime soon.

Just before the EMC voted last week, EMC members who served as public hearing officers reported that the public was clearly calling for the NCCAC plan. Just before the vote Thursday, Governor Hunt sent a letter to EMC members opposing the results of the public hearings and public health studies and insisting that the EMC oppose the 23,000 ton limit in lieu of the Governor’s own plan. Surprisingly, 9 members of the EMC bent to the will of industry and actively opposed the health standard by supporting the Governor. The Governor’s plan, which was supported by the power industry, was approved and will only require a limit of 28,100 tons, which may be further weakened to a limit of 39,377 tons if the EPA’s most recent rules are revoked.

In the aftermath of the EMC vote, state officials have released very misleading numbers, trying to convince state employees, the press, and NC’s citizens that our officials have honored the public’s demand for standards that will bring NC in line with the human health standard.

“What all this news boils down to is that, while our state and specifically the Asheville area are suffering some of the greatest health costs and mortality rates in the nation due to these old coal-fired power plants, Governor Hunt has done nothing less than veto the will of NC’s citizens in order to appease our power industry. It is only due to the actions of Governor Jim Hunt that our state will not meet human health standards for air pollution. There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of corruption of the democratic process. The Governor and the members of the EMC are representing the will of the power industry over the will of the people and scientific facts. ALL of NC’s coal-fired power plants have been operating under exemptions to the Clean Air Act for more than thirty years. The technology to clean them up is available and affordable. Power industry profits, which happen to represent the largest contributors to NC political campaigns, have simply overcome public sentiment,” said Alyx Perry, Community Development Specialist with the WNC Alliance.

“On top of all of this, the state has tried to confuse the issue by playing with the numbers. They’re not only opposing NC citizens, they’re also doing everything they can to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.”

North Carolina prepares to execute three
Black man, convicted by all-white jury, had no lawyer

Asheville, Oct. 25— After nearly one year of a de facto moratorium on executions during the election season, NC Attorney General — and candidate for governor — Mike Easley has ordered the execution of three men, including Marcus Carter, a man who had no lawyer.

Michael Earl Sexton, an African-American, has already been scheduled to be poisoned to death-- 26 hours after Election Day-- at 2 am on Thursday, November 9, 2000. Now Marcus Carter, son of a Korean woman and an African-American soldier, is also scheduled for execution on Wednesday, November 22, 2000 at 2 am. In addition, Easley has ordered the execution of Russell Tucker at 2 am, December 7, 2000.

Marcus Carter’s case exemplifies many of the problems in the administration of the death penalty. Had Marcus not been an indigent defendant dependent on the state to provide counsel, he very likely would not be facing execution. Marcus Carter received a charade of a trial and no court has ever held a hearing in order to determine the fairness of the proceeding that sent him to death row.

In light of the ongoing debate in North Carolina concerning the administration of the death penalty, counsel for Marcus Carter is urging Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., to grant a temporary reprieve in order that the NC General Assembly might have the opportunity to address public concerns about the death penalty as it is administered in North Carolina.

Across North Carolina, eight local governments have adopted resolutions calling for a moratorium on executions until fairness is assured. In the past few months, Charlotte and Greensboro adopted such resolutions with substantial, bipartisan support.

Eighty congregations, businesses and community groups have done the same. More resolutions are expected to be endorsed this fall.

In September of this year, the Charlotte Observer published the results of a six-month study of capital punishment that exposed prosecutorial misconduct, race prejudice, incompetent counsel, and the risk of executing an innocent person. The editorial boards of the state’s major newspapers have all endorsed a moratorium. Recent polls show that over 60 percent of North Carolinians support a moratorium on executions until questions about the fairness of the death penalty can be resolved. In addition, a legislative study commission of the General Assembly is expected to endorse legislation to combat racial bias in capital sentencing and to call for a moratorium on executions until the system can be fixed.

Many of the problems identified by the press and by the study commission are present in the case of Marcus Carter. Had Marcus not been an indigent defendant dependent on the State to provide counsel, he very likely would not be facing execution.

In 1991, Marcus was tried for first degree murder of Amelia Lewis in Wayne County, NC. At this proceeding, Marcus was represented by counsel. The State was unable to convince the jury that Marcus was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury deadlocked after eight days of deliberations and the judge declared a mistrial.

Five months later, Marcus was retried. In the five months between the two proceedings, trial counsel did not see Marcus. During this time period, the State extended a plea offer to Marcus. The plea agreement would have spared Marcus the death penalty. However, trial counsel never discussed the plea offer with Marcus, nor did they tell the prosecutor that they were not in a position to relay the State’s plea offers to Marcus.

On the first day of his retrial, Marcus asked the court to appoint new attorneys. He told the judge that he would take any two lawyers from the court-appointed list. Marcus explained that he wanted new counsel because he had not seen his attorneys in five months and that they had not discussed strategy or witnesses with him. He also told the judge that when he asked his attorneys what they had done and what they intended to do about the case, they told him to “shut up and sit down.” Trial counsel never informed the court that they had stopped representing Marcus five months earlier. The trial judge refused to give Marcus new lawyers. Instead, he suggested that Marcus represent himself. Faced with the unattractive prospect of going forward with counsel who had not consulted with him about his defense, Marcus represented himself.

During jury selection, the prosecutor told jurors that Marcus was representing himself in a “maneuver” designed to “gain the sympathy” of the jury so they would not return a death sentence against him. Prosecution also excused five African-American jurors. The jury that ultimately sat on this case was all white.

Marcus Carter was born in Korea, the child of a Korean woman and an African-American soldier stationed in the country. He never finished high school. When asked by the press if he believed Marcus could handle his own case effectively, one of Marcus’s dismissed attorneys said that, obviously, a lay person does not understand the law as well as an attorney. News stories from the trial suggest that Marcus was unable to follow the proceedings as he appeared to doze off during the trial.

The state’s evidence against Marcus was circumstantial. Police investigators found unknown hairs on the victim’s body. These hairs were Caucasian. Marcus is Asian and African-American by race. Fingernail scrapings from the victim were compared with fiber samples from Marcus’s sweatshirt; DNA comparisons provided no positive identification. The SBI conducted DNA testing on bloodstains found on Marcus’s sweatshirt and jeans. The testing could not determine whether the blood was from Marcus or from the victim.

Despite the state’s weak case and his lack of counsel, Marcus was convicted of first degree murder. Once he was convicted, Marcus asked for help in the sentencing hearing. Counsel jumped into the case unprepared, and Marcus was sentenced to death.

The courts have consistently declined to examine the circumstances under which Marcus ended up fighting for his life with no legal training. His state post-conviction appeal was denied without a hearing. The presiding judge spent less than one hour reviewing the 300-page record before signing verbatim the state’s proposed order. The federal courts, although “deeply troubled” by the short shrift given Marcus’s claims, declined to intervene.

In response to what they see as a great injustice, North Carolina citizens are organizing against the death penalty. People of Faith Against the Death Penalty will hold a rally and march on Saturday, October 28 at noon, at the Raleigh offices of Attorney General Mike Easley, to demand an immediate moratorium on executions. In addition, the group will hold their annual conference in Asheville, November 11-12 at the First Baptist Church.

For more information: People of Faith Against the Death Penalty: 919-933-7567