Workers' struggles in East Asia (September 2011)

This month there has been news from Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Significant struggles this month include a second strike at the Freeport mine in Indonesia (workers at the Freeport mine in Chile were also on strike), a huge riot over land grabs in Southern China that was met with surprisingly little repression, and a wildcat strike at Philipine Airlines (PAL) prior to mass layoffs.

The most important stories:

Burma/Myanmar 6: Workers at Korean-owned factory in Rangoon stage protest over pay (link 1)
Burma/Myanmar 16: Farmers protest land confiscation plan (link 1)
Burma/Myanmar 21: Myanmar arrests anti-dam activist in rare protest (link 1)
Burma/Myanmar 26: About 400 security personnel disperse demonstrators in Rangoon (link 1) (link 2)
Burma/Myanmar 26: Myanmar police don't interfere with demonstration at pagoda but stop other marchers in Yangon (link 1)
Burma/Myanmar 30: Myanmar suspends dam project after rare outcry (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
Cambodia 6: Factory and union stitch up agreement (link 1)
Cambodia 8: Cambrew: Beer battle continues (link 1)
Cambodia 9: Garment strikers hit their target (link 1)
Cambodia 12: Arbitration Council orders an end to strike (link 1)
Cambodia 16: Clash Over Demolitions (link 1)
Cambodia 16: Garment workers 'can't go on like this' (link 1)
Cambodia 19: Lake Villagers Arm Themselves Against Evictions (link 1) (link 2)
Cambodia 22: Fainting factory goes on sick leave strike (link 1)
China 1: Shanghai Sino-US joint venture contract dispute over a hundred employees on strike three days (link 1)
China 5: Villagers protest over fish deaths (link 1)
China 8: Chinese workers strike for higher pay at Triumph lingerie plant (link 1) (link 2)
China 8: Unions protest HSBC's plan to axe 3,000 jobs in Hong Kong (link 1)
China 8: Urban Police in China Beat Vendor, Sparking Protest (link 1)
China 14: New strike at Triumph International in China (link 1)
China 16: Chinese Police Ignore Beaten Activist, Anger Residents (link 1)
China 18: Protest over factory pollution in E China enters third day (link 1)
China 19: Over 500 villagers protest China factory pollution (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10)
China 20: Environental protests halt production at polluting Chinese solar panel plant (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
China 23: Thousands Riot in South China over Land Grab (with Video) (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 24: Protests Intensify After Clashes (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
China 25: Chineses protest over land grab for 4th day (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 27: Anger rises for striking lift workers (link 1) (link 2)
China 27: Workers Protest After Wenzhou Boss Flees from Mounting Debt (link 1)
China 28: Petitioners Flood Beijing (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 5: Freeport Grasberg Workers Plan Strike Sept. 15, Union Says (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
Indonesia 12: UI student group calls for lecture-strike (link 1)
Indonesia 13: Wildcat Strike at Hotel Melia Bali (link 1)
Indonesia 16: Workers begin monthlong strike at Indonesian mine (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11)
Indonesia 16: Thousands of Workers Strike; Freeport Paralyzed (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 20: Thousands of Employees Riot at Indonesian Shipyard (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Indonesia 22: Papua miners prepared to strike until Freeport meets demands (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Indonesia 24: Indonesia Hunger Strike Continues Over Arrest of  Mine Protester (link 1)
Indonesia 26: Papua mine workers to rally (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 27: Indonesia Pulp Dispute Settled; Human Resource Director Sacked (link 1)
Indonesia 29: PT Freeport Mine Managers Turn Rabid on Indonesian Strikers (link 1)
Indonesia 30: Freeport workers stage another protest (link 1)
Japan 19: Thousands protest in Japan against nuclear power (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Japan 29: ANA Pilots For Domestic Flights Plan To Strike Sat (link 1)
Philippines 6: Some 100 employees of Coca Cola stage protest over labor row (link 1)
Philippines 13: Philippine transport groups set to stage national strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Philippines 17: Palea stages strike preview (link 1)
Philippines 18: Protest camp set at DAR (link 1)
Philippines 19: Peaceful transport strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11)
Philippines 23: Protesters block EDSA briefly, cause major jam (link 1)
Philippines 24: State colleges, universities protest P146-M budget cut (link 1) (link 2)
Philippines 26: PALEA starts protest action vs. lockout (link 1)
Philippines 28: Wildcat strike paralyzes PAL operations (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
Philippines 28: PAL threatens strikers with admin, criminal charges (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Philippines 29: PAL workers intensify protest actions (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Philippines 30: Radio network faces strike over pay hike (link 1)
South Korea 5: S Koreans clash with police over base (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12)
South Korea 23: MBC labor union to go on strike (link 1)
South Korea 25: "Irregular" school staff workers protest (link 1)
Vietnam 2: Residents clash with polluters (link 1)

All reports ordered by country and date:

-Analysis

26: China Left Review #4 (Summer 2011): Historical Legacies, Global Financial Crisis, and China's Working Class Movement (link 1)

-WSWS Asia

3: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
10: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
17: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
24: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)

Burma/Myanmar

2: Calls for Release of Political Prisoners in Burma (link 1)
3: Interactive Prison Map (link 1)
3: Burma's barmy army cry freedom (link 1)
6: Workers at Korean-owned factory in Rangoon stage protest over pay (link 1)
9: Authorities arrest farmers in land confiscation case (link 1)
13: Activists say they will step up work to protect the Irrawaddy River (link 1)
16: Farmers protest land confiscation plan (link 1)
19: Despite protest, minister vows govt will continue dam project (link 1)
21: Myanmar arrests anti-dam activist in rare protest (link 1)
22: Irrawaddy dam test for Myanmar resolve (link 1)
26: Political Prisoners' Release Imminent? (link 1)
26: About 400 security personnel disperse demonstrators in Rangoon (link 1) (link 2)
26: Myanmar police don't interfere with demonstration at pagoda but stop other marchers in Yangon (link 1)
30: Myanmar suspends dam project after rare outcry (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)

Cambodia

1: Land grabbing: The dark side of Cambodia investment boom (link 1)
2: Cop implicated in trafficking (link 1) (link 2)
2: Union complaint over gun (link 1)
6: Factory and union stitch up agreement (link 1)
7: Cambodian Government Uses NGO Law to Silence Critics (link 1)
7: Labour draft law revamped (link 1)
8: Armed police break up forum (link 1)
8: Cambrew: Beer battle continues (link 1)
9: Villagers block firm from clearing forest (link 1)
9: Garment strikers hit their target (link 1)
12: Arbitration Council orders an end to strike (link 1)
16: Cambodian monk defies his superiors to document and oppose land grabs (link 1)
16: No room for strike in Siem Reap (link 1)
16: Beoung Kak eviction (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
16: Clash Over Demolitions (link 1)
16: Garment workers 'can't go on like this' (link 1)
19: Lake Villagers Arm Themselves Against Evictions (link 1) (link 2)
22: Fainting factory goes on sick leave strike (link 1)
23: Union members "dismissed" (link 1)

China

1: Chinese Lawyer Receives Death Threats for Defending Land Grab Victims (link 1)
1: Crackdown on Schools for Migrant Children Continues (link 1)
1: Shanghai Sino-US joint venture contract dispute over a hundred employees on strike three days (link 1)
2: Hong Kong Rallies to Protect Freedoms After China VP's Goodwill Visit (link 1)
2: More Chinese Dissidents Appear to Disappear (link 1)
2: Workers pay for minimum wage (link 1)
3: Propaganda Bureau Takes Control of Two Beijing Newspapers (link 1)
3: Hong Kong: Protests growing against tyrannical police (link 1)
5: Activist Freed, With Injuries (link 1)
5: Marchers turn up heat over living costs, housing (link 1)
5: Chinese workers most likely to fake sick leave (link 1)
5: Villagers protest over fish deaths (link 1)
6: Scholars worry over trend to radicalism (link 1)
6: Quake Petitioners Held, Quizzed (link 1)
7: 77-year-old woman strips to protest the demolition of her home (link 1)
8: Popular China rights activist gets nine months' jail (link 1)
8: Police Detain Nanjing Activists (link 1)
8: Another Slavery Scandal Uncovered in Central China (link 1)
8: Chinese workers strike for higher pay at Triumph lingerie plant (link 1) (link 2)
8: Unions protest HSBC's plan to axe 3,000 jobs in Hong Kong (link 1)
8: Urban Police in China Beat Vendor, Sparking Protest (link 1)
9: China water resettlement: 'Honest folk have lost out' (link 1)
9: Mainland Chinese Media Face Up To Striking Workers (link 1)
9: Clampdown Around Activist's Trial (link 1)
9: China officials told to be wary in demolitions (link 1)
10: In China, State-Backed Land Grab Destroys Family (link 1)
10: A political trap for Chinese workers (link 1)
12: Rights Activist Detained (link 1)
12: Chinese Internet Activist Sentenced to Nine Months Prison (link 1)
13: Guangdong Rights Lawyer Released (link 1)
13: Petitioners Share Grief During Holiday (link 1)
13: Chinese Activists Seized in Crackdown Accuse Authorities of Torture (link 1)
14: Lockdown in Hong Kong (link 1)
14: Rights lawyer defiant after five years in prison (link 1)
14: Not Human: China Activist Lawyer Jiang Tianyong Describes Detention (link 1)
14: Freed China Dissident was Tortured in Custody, Say Rights Groups (link 1)
14: Police Detain Embassy Protesters (link 1)
14: Woes blamed as school social workers quit (link 1)
14: New strike at Triumph International in China (link 1)
15: Party Secretary Pockets Big Bucks While Farmers Given Nothing (link 1)
15: Chinese Petitioners Detained During Biden's Visit (link 1)
15: What Happened at The Beijing News? (link 1)
16: Factories Shut Over Lead Fears (link 1)
16: Black first day for new RTHK chief (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
16: Coal mine unions in Shanxi push collective wage negotiations (link 1)
16: Chinese Police Ignore Beaten Activist, Anger Residents (link 1)
17: Hong Kong Journalist Sues Police for Illegal Arrest (link 1)
17: Seafarers left unprotected (link 1)
18: Hong Kong: The truth about "violent" protests (link 1)
18: Protest over factory pollution in E China enters third day (link 1)
19: Chinese Lawyer Reveals Brutalities in Custody (link 1)
19: Labour shortage reportedly spreading to northeast China (link 1)
19: Chen Supporters Attacked (link 1)
19: Nine 'Independent Candidates' Arrested in Beijing (link 1)
19: Village Official Dies in Detention (link 1)
19: China boosting state-run labor unions to dampen militancy? (link 1)
19: China's Labor Union Movement Affecting Foreign-Invested Enterprises: Nair & Co. (link 1)
19: Photos: Residents Protest China Solar Panel Pollution (link 1)
19: Over 500 villagers protest China factory pollution (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10)
20: Hong Kong jails Chinese farmer for flag-burning (link 1)
20: Village Protesters Still Wary After Apology from Solar Panel Manufacturer (link 1) (link 2)
20: Two Deaths in Forced Demolition (link 1)
20: Calls to Free Blind Activist Met With Violence; Videos by Supporters Posted Online (link 1)
20: "Worth a Thousand Words" (link 1)
20: A Migrant Worker Beaten to Death when Demanding Salaries (link 1)
20: JinkoSolar Works to Reopen Solar Plant as Authorities Detain 31 (link 1)
20: Despite China's growth, its workers endure a fundamental evil (link 1)
20: Environental protests halt production at polluting Chinese solar panel plant (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
21: China's Land Grabs: A Case Study (link 1)
22: China's Largest Microblog Steps Up Censorship Measures (link 1)
22: Health Petitioner Detained (link 1)
23: Birth Policy Could Destabilize China (link 1)
23: Growing protest against Chinese chemical plants (link 1)
23: Tourist Mistaken for Petitioner Beaten; Migrant Worker Killed after Demanding Pay (link 1) (link 2)
23: Thousands Riot in South China over Land Grab (with Video) (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
24: SACOM Greets the Apple Store with Protest (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
24: Protests Intensify After Clashes (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
25: Please, Help Free My Husband, Gao Zhisheng (link 1)
25: Unrest Grows as Economy Booms (link 1)
25: Officials promise investigation to defuse large, violent south China land protest (link 1) (link 2)
25: Chineses protest over land grab for 4th day (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
26: Macau - Hundreds gather at family-reunion protest (link 1)
26: Guangdong Land-Grab Protests Continues (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
26: Chinese Villagers Get Inquiry after Protests over Developer "Land Grabs" (link 1)
27: Laid-Off Profs Reject Deal (link 1)
27: Taxi Drivers Strikes Increase in China (link 1)
27: Growing up a Foreigner During Mao's Cultural Revolution (link 1)
27: Anger rises for striking lift workers (link 1) (link 2)
27: Workers Protest After Wenzhou Boss Flees from Mounting Debt (link 1)
28: Real Wages on Decline in China (link 1)
28: Petitioners Flood Beijing (link 1) (link 2)
29: Mayor sorry for demolition death (link 1)
29: Dissident Suffers Beatings in Detention (link 1)
29: Velvet glove trumps iron fist in south China land riot (link 1)
30: China's Biggest Relocation Project Yet (link 1)
30: Riots erupt in southern China over land sales to developers (link 1)
30: Election Candidates Held in Beijing (link 1) (link 2)

Indonesia

1: La Farge union leader arrested in Aceh, Indonesia (link 1)
5: Freeport Grasberg Workers Plan Strike Sept. 15, Union Says (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
8: Nike faces allegations of worker abuse in Indonesia (link 1)
12: Newmont Indonesia, union in talks over mine protest (link 1)
12: UI student group calls for lecture-strike (link 1)
13: Wildcat Strike at Hotel Melia Bali (link 1)
16: Pilot Association's Plan to Strike May be Canceled (link 1)
16: Workers begin monthlong strike at Indonesian mine (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11)
16: Thousands of Workers Strike; Freeport Paralyzed (link 1) (link 2)
18: No work no pay, says Freeport president director (link 1)
19: Indonesian women rally against official's 'provocative' position (link 1)
19: Landslides May Occur at Freeport Mines (link 1)
19: Police to investigate brutal attack on journalists by students (link 1)
19: Some workers return to Freeport Indonesia copper mine (link 1)
19: Freeport union says strike still on, some output restarted (link 1)
19: Where's My Money? Teachers Demand Their Full Bonuses (link 1)
20: Farmers Celebrate at Plantation Law Court Victory (link 1)
20: Papua strike causes significant lost production for Freeport (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
20: Thousands of Employees Riot at Indonesian Shipyard (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
22: Papua miners prepared to strike until Freeport meets demands (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
23: Freeport Indonesia union plan not to continue govt-led mediation (link 1)
23: Freeport-McMoRan target lowered as strikes persist (link 1)
24: Indonesia Hunger Strike Continues Over Arrest of  Mine Protester (link 1)
26: Papua mine workers to rally (link 1) (link 2)
27: Indonesian unions build unity through organizing (link 1)
27: Workers in Semarang Demand Wage Increase (link 1)
27: Indonesia Pulp Dispute Settled; Human Resource Director Sacked (link 1)
28: Union Makes Move to End Freeport Strike (link 1)
28: Hundreds of UI Students Demonstrate Against Rector (link 1)
29: Indonesian unions cooperate to fight precarious work (link 1)
29: PT Freeport Mine Managers Turn Rabid on Indonesian Strikers (link 1)
30: Freeport workers stage another protest (link 1)

Japan

3: Fukushima Blows Lid Off Exploited Labour (link 1)
19: Thousands protest in Japan against nuclear power (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
29: ANA Pilots For Domestic Flights Plan To Strike Sat (link 1)

Malaysia

17: Malaysia Scraps Controversial Internal Security Act (link 1)
30: 1 Factory, 1 Employer, please (link 1)

North Korea

21: Survivors Remember the Camps (link 1)

Philippines

5: 3 groups mount protests during budget hearing (link 1)
6: Some 100 employees of Coca Cola stage protest over labor row (link 1)
11: Anti-demolition network tags "Kyusi" as worst place for urban poor (link 1)
12: Court allows PAL to sue striking pilots for damages (link 1)
12: Militant workers press for RH bill nod (link 1)
13: DOLE sees zero strikes for 2011 (link 1)
13: "Fire being used against squatters" (link 1)
13: Philippine transport groups set to stage national strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
16: Hacienda Looc farmers fight for right to land, call for halt to conversion (link 1)
16: Mass layoff at Philippine Airlines to proceed as scheduled (link 1)
17: KMU backs transport strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
17: Filipino environmentalists oppose mining in Mindanao (link 1)
17: Palea stages strike preview (link 1)
18: Philippine Airlines unfazed by union protest (link 1)
18: Protest camp set at DAR (link 1)
19: Peaceful transport strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11)
20: 'Anti-planking' law proposed in Philippines (link 1) (link 2)
20: Overhaul Marcos' Labor Code, end "martial law" in the labor front (link 1)
23: 11% of workers' pay said to go to power bills (link 1)
23: Protesters block EDSA briefly, cause major jam (link 1)
24: PALEA slams PAL for employing scabs (link 1)
24: State colleges, universities protest P146-M budget cut (link 1) (link 2)
26: PALEA starts protest action vs. lockout (link 1)
28: Wildcat strike paralyzes PAL operations (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
28: PAL threatens strikers with admin, criminal charges (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
29: Land converted for biofuels, farmers in Misamis Or harassed (link 1)
29: Union blames PAL for work stoppage (link 1)
29: PAL workers intensify protest actions (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
30: PAL copes, despite having
to work with damaged equipment (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
30: ITF condemns use of force against protesting airline workers in the Philippines (link 1)
30: Radio network faces strike over pay hike (link 1)

South Korea

1: Standoff escalates over Jeju naval base (link 1)
2: Inside the Gangjeong 'Peace Camp' (link 1)
3: ROK police break up navy base protest (link 1)
5: South Korea naval base construction resumes (link 1)
5: Mother of laborers in heaven (link 1) (link 2)
5: S Koreans clash with police over base (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12)
7: Construction resumes on Jeju naval base, but rift among residents remains (link 1)
16: Court overturns deportation of migrant union president (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
22: War against unions intensifies under Lee administration (link 1)
23: MBC labor union to go on strike (link 1)
25: "Irregular" school staff workers protest (link 1)

Taiwan

17: Protesters want project scrapped (link 1)
27: Taiwan man sets himself alight in protest (link 1)
27: Scholars protest Pingtung-Taitung highway extension (link 1)
29: Farmers rally for land ownership (link 1)

Thailand

2: Rethink lese majeste law, academics say (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
7: Farmers protest cement factories' compensation for their land (link 1)
12: Union workers petition PM seeking promised wage hike (link 1)
24: SRT's dismissal of striking staff 'violated human rights' (link 1)
28: Marchers in Thailand remember the "Saffron Revolution" (link 1)
30: ITF demands immediate reinstatement of dismissed railway unionists in Thailand (link 1)

Vietnam

2: Residents clash with polluters (link 1)
6: Drug Detention Akin to "Labor Camps" (link 1)
29: Vietnam to draft law regulating public protests (link 1)