No Deal in Hong Kong

Kong Yee Sai Mau! [Say No to WTO] was one of the battle cries of the anti-global protesters who gathered in Hong Kong to protest the Conference of the World Trade Organization in December 2005.

The organization of the protests was in the hands of the Hong Kong People's Alliance on WTO (HKPA), a network of more than 30 grassroots organizations launched on 22 September 2004. The HKPA includes trade unions, community groups, and organizations that represent migrant workers, students, women, church, and human rights groups based in Hong Kong.

The protesters' main objective was to counter WTO's attempts to extend trade and investment. Other goals were to promote a discussion between the WTO and society, to raise the consciousness of local NGOs about the WTO's economic policy, to support local anti-privatization campaigns, and to call attention to the impact on Chinese working people of China's participation in the WTO.

During the WTO conference in December 2005, a People's Action Week was organized, consisting of a wide range of workshops, seminars, and cultural events.
Thousands of peasants, fishers, domestic workers, students, sex workers from all over Southern, Southeastern, and East Asia (and beyond) gathered in Victoria Park in Hong Kong, which was the base for most of the rallies during the People's Action Week, as well as for a large number of meetings, discussions, and presentations.

The regional representative of the IISH collected leaflets, flyers, posters, other objects (banners, flags, caps, buttons, balloons, T-shirts) and made about 1200 photographs of this important event.

More information is on the Websites of the HKPA [daga.dhs.org/hkpa/] and various Korean action groups [gomediaction.net/].