HONG Kong authorities are bracing for a wave of anti-globalisation rallies when protesters take to the streets during this week's World Trade Organisation meeting.
Since 1998, WTO ministerial meetings have become a magnet for ever-growing protests against globalisation.
Hong Kong is unlikely to be any different. The presence of Korean farmers adds an ominous dimension to the meeting, for they have been known to make a statement by committing suicide. Last month, farmer and activist Chung Yong-pum, 38, killed himself on the opening day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting in Busan. Another Korean farmer, Lee Kyung-hae, killed himself in a similar protest at the opening of the last WTO ministerial meeting at Cancun, Mexico, in 2003.
The militant Korean Peasants League is reportedly sending 2000 members to Hong Kong. Japanese farmers are also said to be on their way. In all, the Government expects up to 10,000 local and foreign protesters. The Government has approved three official marches, and has fenced off an area near the venue for the protesters.
One Hong Kong Government source told The Australian: ''Hong Kong police regard this as a bigger operation than the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. They have prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.''THE AUSTRALIAN
