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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (3335)	7/12/2006 2:08:10 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Respond to of 224718

19th Century revisited:Protesters, Police Clash Over Trade Deal AP / MI-SOOK JEONG, Jul 12, 2006 SEOUL, South Korea - People protesting the proposed South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement clashed with riot police in central Seoul on Wednesday as negotiators for the two governments held talks on the deal. Using buses and fire trucks, police had blocked the main downtown thoroughfare when protesters approached from a nearby square where thousands of farmers, laborers, office workers, students and others had gathered. Police responded with steady bursts of water cannon after protesters charged with bamboo spears, tried to topple buses and threw sand at officers standing atop the vehicles. There appeared to be no injuries and police said there were no arrests. The protests came as U.S. and South Korean negotiators met for a third day to hammer out an ambitious agreement to slash tariffs and other trade barriers between the world's largest and 10th-largest economies. The two sides kicked off talks last month in Washington and say an agreement will increase trade and add to growth. They hope to wrap up a deal by the end of the year to submit to their respective legislatures. South Korean labor, agriculture and social groups, as well as the film industry, have protested the plan for months. Farmers oppose reduced protections for agriculture, particularly rice. The U.S. wants more access for its farm produce, automobiles and pharmaceuticals and other goods and services. It won concessions for Hollywood movies before the talks began. "This FTA means the demise of the working classes and farmers like myself," said protester Moon Jung-sik, 59, who has farmed for 40 years. "It will enrich the already rich. How unfair is this?" The South Korean government last week vowed stern measures against any violence, citing the country's "external credibility." Leading business groups including the Federation of Korean Industries back the agreement and, though far less vocal and fewer in number, there have been rallies supporting the deal. Jeff Vogt, a Washington-based official with the U.S. labor organization AFL-CIO visiting Seoul, said the proposed accord and others like it modeled on the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, were bad for laborers. "This model is lopsided in that it gives more rights to investors and does not protect the rights of workers," he said.