Anti-WTO march turns violent in H.K

HONG KONG, Dec. 13 Kyodo

Some anti-WTO protesters, allegedly from South Korea, clashed with riot police in Hong Kong on Tuesday while trying to get closer to the World Trade Organization talks venue.

At least nine people were hurt in the melee. Police said five of the nine were hospitalized, with two police officers, one Hong Kong resident and a South Korean being released after treatment. A 65-year-old South Korean remained in hospital in stable condition.

About 4,500 protesters, including more than 1,300 South Korean farmers, marched for about an hour to a designated protest zone.

But shortly after arrival, about 100 of the farmers put on life jackets and one by one jumped off the railing into the cold water of Victoria Harbor.

Police onshore did not try to stop them, but a dozen marine police vessels stood by just to prevent them from swimming toward the convention center, site of the WTO global trade negotiations.

''More than 100 of the protesters who jumped into the sea all returned onshore,'' police public relations branch Chief Superintendent Alfred Ma said at an evening press conference.

Just as the swimming protest ended, dozens more farmers clashed with police standing guard outside the protest zone, trying to move toward the venue about a kilometer away.

Setting a wooden coffin on fire, the protesters confronted the police but were quickly outnumbered by hundreds of riot-equipped officers.

Despite numerous attempts, the protesters failed to break the police line. They were also sprayed with what police described as ''a skin-irritating foam.''

''Police officers reacted to the burning coffin because the wooden structure was heavy and could mean a threat to public safety,'' Ma said. ''The situation could worsen had we not acted swiftly. Some of the protesters should reassess their behavior, otherwise, it might agitate the public.''

The standoff carried on for four hours with a dozen of protesters who refused to leave.

The coffin was to symbolize Lee Kyeong Hae, president of the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation who committed suicide in March 2003 in Cancun, Mexico, during an anti-WTO protest.

Hundreds of government ministers from the nearly 150 WTO members are attending the WTO ministerial meetings that opened Tuesday.

''Many farmers committed suicide (in South Korea) because they cannot pay back the debt they owe with less income caused by the influx of cheap foreign agricultural goods,'' said Cheong Jae Don, president of the umbrella group Korean Farmers' Solidarity. ''Food and water are not (commodities). We don't want WTO to control our lives.''

Elizabeth Tang, head of protest organizer Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO, said she was not aware of the South Koreans to jump into the harbor or clashing with police.

''The (South) Koreans are actually quite restrained, the activities they planned for do not harm others,'' Tang said. She had criticized the media for over-focusing on the violent behavior of the farmers before the incident Tuesday.

A spokesman for the farmers said Monday that protests will remain peaceful unless provoked by police, but he also warned that a protest planned for Saturday, eve of the ministerial meeting's closing, will be ''more aggressive.''

The six-day WTO ministerial ends Sunday, when a third major rally and march are planned. About 10,000 anti-globalization protesters are expected to join in the Sunday demonstrations.

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