Here are some links to articles on various protests that have taken place recently in Cambodia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and a strike by Vietnamese workers in Sweden.
Villagers in Cambodia have sent representatives to the government baring a petition asking for action over land grabs, which are becoming more common. 80% of the population live in rural areas, and there is no safety net, but as over 90% of land has no legal title (mostly destroyed under the Khmer Rouge) it is easy for companies, the rich and powerful etc. to simply take land.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/features/article_1495397.php/Cambodian-farmers-demand-stop-to-land-grabs-evictions-News-Feature
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009081327724/National-news/grievances-voiced-over-land.html
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/200908/s2654703.htm
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1494811.php/Hundreds-hand-in-petitions-to-protest-Cambodia-land-grabs-Roundup
Malaysian Indian villagers managed to stop the demolition of their homes, at least temporarily:
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1030497&lang=eng_news
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1030750&lang=eng_news
Also in Malaysia, an anti-repression law protest in Kuala Lumpur turned into a confrontation with police at the beginning of the month. Gatherings of more than 4 people without permits are illegal in Malaysia, and permits are rarely given to groups opposed to the government:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20090802-158514.html
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/mala-a05.shtml
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20090802-158515.html
Union activists from the Philippines and Thailand traveled to Hong Kong to protest outside the office of Triumph International, the bra manufacturer. They accuse the company of moving factories in the Philippines to provinces with cheaper labour and weaker union presence, and firing union members in Thailand:
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=86458&sid=24975842&con_type=1
People in China have started a campaign sending postcards to political prisoners:
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/postcardcampaign-08052009094856.html
Vietnamese migrant workers picking berries in Sweden went on strike claiming they'd been given false promises. Reports seem to portray it as a dispute between North Vietnamese (more militant) and South Vietnamese, maybe there are libcom posters in Sweden with more info on this? Here are the reports:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/08/14/Migrant-workers-on-strike-in-Sweden/UPI-43811250260001/
http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=vn&news_id=5648
http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/artikel.asp?ProgramID=2054&format=1&artikel=3032395
http://www.thelocal.se/21468/20090814/
There are many migrant workers from Asia who go to Europe, sent by agencies in their home countries who promise them all sorts of wondrous things which inevitably turn out to be lies. akai report on Chinese workers in Poland a few weeks ago here.
Comments
Some recent developments in
Some recent developments in the Triumph workers' union in Thailand - the police have apparently issued arrest warrants for the union leaders after they led 300-400 workers to try and petition the PM. The PM was busy so they blocked the road and then the road in front of parliament. Apparently the police then used one of the new Long Range Acoustic Devices to disperse the protesters.
Union report: http://triumph-union.blogspot.com/2009/08/police-issue-warrant-for-arrest-of.html
Media report: http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/1376
The dispute at Toshiba in Indonesia that some may have read of on LabourStart, has been resolved - 697 workers reinstated, but not the 16 union organisers.
Union report: http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=20528&l=2
And in Vietnam workers staged a sit-in to protest against two companies that sent them to Russia to work.
Report: http://www.english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2009/08/866288/
Thai migrant workers in
Thai migrant workers in Sweden, picking berries like the Vietnamese, have also been protesting about their situation:
http://www.stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=3831
http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=se&news_id=5666
A more in depth article on the situation of workers, with the example of Triumph workers, in the Philippines:
http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2009/08/30/as-workers-reel-from-layoffs-they-find-enemy-%E2%80%93-not-ally-%E2%80%93-in-labor-department/
And finally, a brief report of a strike at a shoe factory in Vietnam:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h46Rb4oxZ8rvVljgA7fiNH7Vxr2Q