[Toshio Takahashi, Sept. 6] A report on the South Korean govt's refusal to allow entry of 3 Okinawa Peace Activists (delegates to the IUCN WCC) (Fwd)

[아름드리 나무]

The below report (letter) has been forwarded by Corazon Valdez Fabros on September 10, 2012. So sorry that I could see it only today. Still the report is a valuable account of how internationals are inhumanly treated by the ROK government. 

Mr. Toshio Takahashi from Okinawa has sent photos, along with a letter in Japanese on Sept. 6, which was translated in Korean by one of our village international team members(See here). This English script is really appreciated. It will greatly help our report on the ROK government infringement on human rights by denying entry of some internationals. Thanks so much, Toshio Takahashi to make this translated and thanks so much, Corazon Valdez Fabros to bring this to our attention. 

A report on the South Korean govt's refusal to allow entry of 3 Okinawa Peace Activists (delegates to the IUCN WCC)

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This is a report on the South Korean government's refusal to allow entry of three Okinawa Peace Activists (paid delegates to the IUCN WCC) who were traveling to Jeju, South Korea for the IUCN World Conservation Congress. The following report is summary written by one of them.

A letter from Mr. Toshio Takahashi, 

the Director of Legal Action against Roar from Battleplane, 

in Futenma, Okinawa.

 Photo sent by Toshio Takahashi (For more photos, click here)

In the afternoon on the 5th of September 2012, I and two of my friends, Mr. Masahiro Tomiyama and Mr. Eiji Tomita, were prohibited entry into Republic of Korea (ROK) at the Incheon International Airport.

The Detail of the process of deportation is as follow.

On the 5th of September, three of us left the Naha International Airport by Asiana Airline OZ-171 at 12.40pm, and arrived at the Incheon International Airport around 2.45pm. We showed our passports for a visa approval in front of immigration window. However, the immigration official turned his head, looked at the computer screen, and then asked us to go to the immigration office while handing us back passports. Two female officials were at the immigration office, and one of them asked again for passports from each of us, collected finger-prints from hands, and took photo of faces.

By presenting a letter of invitation from a Member of the ROK National Assembly, I asked the reason of holding us back at the immigration office. The official told me to wait for a superior official, who can give us the official answer, in a room nearby (The room had enough seats for more than twenty people and chairs were in two rows). No matter how long we waited for the superior official in charge, he didn’t show up.

So, around the quarter passed 3.00pm, I called Embassy of Japan in Seoul and Mr. Shinsaka answered. I appealed that we have been detained in a room, although I hold the letter of invitation and a written guarantee of entry. Yet he said, “Please contact us again once you are sentenced refusal of your entry, if you have not heard any from them yet.” I demanded for an answer why we are being detained once again to the immigration official. She replied, “Your status corresponds to denial of entry into the country. The reason has not been informed to us.”

It was around 3.25pm…Later, a female employee from Asiana Airlines approached to us and said that the Ministry of Justice gave an order that we have to leave this country within 24 hours. The employee told us to choose different destinations including Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Haneda, or Narita, and go home by bus or train from there since the last plane bound for Okinawa has already left for a day. I insisted that being deported back to cities far from my original departure is not acceptable. Also, I added that the Ministry of Justice should inform us in a letter explaining the reason of forbidding our entry into the country and demanded for Japanese interpreter. But the employee from Asiana Airlines simply dismissed my requests and said this is the “Korean system”, which was by no means convincing answer.

Finding their obvious attitude conducted by the Ministry of Justice, around 4.05pm, I called Mr. Shinsaka at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul again, and explained all the process happened this time, and requested him to negotiate with the Korean Government since this resolution equivalents to the violating of human rights to be denied entry without any explanation and official letter from the Korean Government. However, Mr. Shinsaka replied to me that the decision has been made by the Korean Government, therefore, there is nothing the Japanese Embassy can do.

Officials from the immigration and Asiana Airlines ordered me and my friends to get on the Asiana OZ-136 plane departing at 5.20pm for Fukuoka. We were forcefully dragged out of the immigration office by six or seven male officials. Our passports were returned once they confirmed our identifications on board.

Arriving at the Fukuoka Airport nearly 7.00pm, we stayed over a night there after having late supper. This is how we came back to Okinawa today at 10.00 am on the 6th of September by AN-481 leaving Fukuoka at 8 in the morning.

We would like to appreciate from bottom of our hearts for those who supported us during our detainment at Incheon, especially for the Green Korea and everyone preparing for the symposium this time, and for the Members of the Korean National Assembly. I, Toshio Takahashi, have visited South Korea more than 10 times in my life including February this year, 2012, when I participated in the protest campaign against the Korean Navy Base construction which is also planned to be used for the U.S. Navy, in Kanjong, Cheju Island.

The violation of human rights is what we, Okinawa and Korea, experience in common. Infringement of human rights by the U.S. military which is by no means allowed inside the U.S. takes place in daily basis in these two locations. The denial of our entry to South Korea this time exposes the violation of human rights by double-standard militaristic policy of the U.S. government and South Korean Government. However, we will never cease making our effort to extend grass-roots solidarity for human rights, environment conservation, and peace.

12.30pm, 6 September, 2012

Translated by Shin Yang-Takahashi