Workers' struggles in East Asia (April 2011)

First I apologise for the lack of a summary for March - this wasn't because the class struggle went on holiday in East Asia, but because I didn't have internet for most of the month, so there was too much to catch up on. This is also why I haven't been able to find so many pictures this month - I just havem't had time. However, I have been working on a little internet tool to help me compile these summaries - though it's still in the testing stage, if anyone would like to either help out with these or start their own for other regions, send me a private message.

I would also like some thoughts from those of you who read these summaries: do you think i should continue them in their present monthly form, or should I switch to as regular as possible postings to a dedicated thread in the news forum along the lines of those on events in the middle east to allow more discussion of events, or do both?

The most important stories this month:

Cambodia 5: Garment dispute: 300 factory workers hold protest (link 1)
Cambodia 21: Cambodian police beat, arrest women and children in land protest (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
Cambodia 28: Unions Threaten May Day March Despite Ban (link 1)
China 1: Migrant worker union negotiates pay deal for Tianjin cleaners (link 1)
China 1: Mass protest over dam construction (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
China 5: Workers Protest High Speed Rail (link 1)
China 5: Protesters Block Power Plant (link 1)
China 5: Worker fights downsizing at Harbin Railway, and demands a democratic union (link 1)
China 8: Riot Police in Land Clash (link 1)
China 12: Skirmish Over Farmland (link 1)
China 15: The Economist on China's Crackdown (link 1)
China 21: Truck drivers go on strike at Shanghai ports (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)

A truck driver in Shanghai tries to stop strike breakers.

China 22: Strike and blockade by Shanghai truck drivers (link 1)
China 22: Chinese lorry drivers continue strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
China 23: China protest over artists detention (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 29: Shanghai Offers Fee Cuts to Defuse Drivers' Strike at Por (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
China 30: The implications of the Shanghai truckers' strike (link 1)
Indonesia 8: Indonesian copper mine workers protest after killings (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
Japan 15: Anti-nuclear protests in Tokyo �and around the planet (link 1)
Japan 26: Angry farmers bring cows to Tokyo to demand compensation for nuclear contamination - 680News (link 1)
Mongolia 26: Protesting Herders on Horseback Replaced by People`s Assembly, But They Will Return (link 1)
Philippines 1: PAL ready for ground crew union's strike (link 1)
Philippines 1: Transport Caravan and Transport Strikes, "Just For Starters" (link 1)
Philippines 2: PALEA defies DOLE, set to go on strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
Philippines 28: 2 journalists, 17 others hurt as violence mars clearing operations (link 1)
Philippines 30: Thousands to join Labor Day rally (link 1) (link 2)
Taiwan 29: Thousands to march in Taiwan anti-nuke protest (link 1)
Taiwan 30: Anti-nuclear rally draws legions (link 1)
Thailand 29: Burmese workers protest Saha Farm abuse (link 1)
Vietnam 27: Vietnamese workers end strike after Taiwan company hikes wages (link 1)

-libcom articles

I've included articles added to libcom in March and April. You may also want to check the new tags for individual countries.

1: 27 Mar: Philippine national flag carrier planning to stike (link 1)
1: 11 Mar: South-east Asia: thousands strike in Burma and Vietnam | libcom.org (link 1)
1: Must We Rebuild Their Anthill? A Letter to/for Japanese Comrades (link 1)
1: Anarchism in Indonesia (link 1)
1: Vietnam: Socialism or Pacifism? 1966 - John Sullivan (link 1)
1: To All the Working People - Call for De-Nuke General strike - Fissures (link 1)
1: Call for a New Campaign to Build Refugee's Commune - Fissures (link 1)
1: Kill No One: Statement On the Fukushima Nuclear Accident - Fissures (link 1)
1: China: Three Essays on the New Mandarins (link 1)
1: After the Wildcat: Another Report by Honda HMSI Worker (link 1)
1: "Let's organize relief activities for the affected area by workers' unity and solidarity! Stop all nuclear plants immediately!" (link 1)
15: Death toll mounts after defeat of 2009 Ssangyong strike (link 1)

-WSWS Asia

2: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
9: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
16: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
23: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
30: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)

Cambodia

5: Garment dispute: 300 factory workers hold protest (link 1)
21: Cambodian police beat, arrest women and children in land protest (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
21: Cambodian police clash with capital residents resisting eviction (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
28: Unions Threaten May Day March Despite Ban (link 1)

China

1: Namibia-China: Chinese Firm Bows to Worker Pressure (link 1)
1: Crackdown on Memorials (link 1)
1: Migrant worker union negotiates pay deal for Tianjin cleaners (link 1)
1: Mass protest over dam construction (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
2: China's 12th Five Year Plan Addresses Social Stability, Official Evaluation (link 1)
2: The Big Chill; Yang Hengjun Says He Will Return to China (link 1) (link 2)
2: PALEA defies DOLE, set to go on strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
4: Wary of Unrest, China Cracks Down on Dissent (link 1)
5: Critics suffer in China's "lawless" crackdown (link 1) (link 2)
5: Workers Protest High Speed Rail (link 1)
5: Protesters Block Power Plant (link 1)
5: Worker fights downsizing at Harbin Railway, and demands a democratic union (link 1)
6: Voices behind China's protest calls (link 1)
8: Riot Police in Land Clash (link 1)
10: Authorities Increase Pressure on Activists (link 1)
10: Hong Kong Political Rumblings on the Rise (link 1)
12: Why Ai Weiwei Matters (link 1)
12: Skirmish Over Farmland (link 1)
15: First known sentence in China for jasmine protest reported (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
15: Clash Over Detained Petitioners (link 1)
15: The Economist on China's Crackdown (link 1)
18: Guangzhou to establish regional trade unions in automotive and other sectors (link 1)
19: Fears Over Nuke Plant (link 1)
19: Chinese government pledge to double wages gets reality check (link 1)
20: Latest Directives From the Ministry of Truth (link 1)
20: Ai Weiwei and the Chinese Inquisition (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
21: China to adopt new law to end violence in forced demolitions (link 1)
21: Mainland trips off-limits for activists (link 1)
21: Truck drivers go on strike at Shanghai ports (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
22: Ai Weiwei Confessed Under Torture, Article Says (link 1) (link 2)
22: What is behind the Shanghai truckers strike? (link 1)
22: Strike and blockade by Shanghai truck drivers (link 1)
22: Chinese lorry drivers continue strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
23: China protest over artists detention (link 1) (link 2)
25: Hong Kong Demonstrations Demand Ai Weiwei's Release (link 1)
26: 17 migrant workers die in fire at illegally-built workshop (link 1)
26: Minimum wage anger lifts hopes for rally (link 1)
26: Hong Kong: Oppose nuclear power! (link 1)
27: Labor strikes do not herald revolution (link 1)
28: Why China's Crackdown is Selective (link 1)
28: China's Exports Perch on an Uncertain Truck System (link 1)
28: Trying to Stir Up a Popular Protest in China, From a Bedroom in Manhattan (link 1)
29: Shanghai Offers Fee Cuts to Defuse Drivers' Strike at Por (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
30: China's trade union takes up a new cause - workers (link 1)
30: The implications of the Shanghai truckers' strike (link 1)

Indonesia

8: Indonesian copper mine workers protest after killings (link 1)
8: Freeport Workers Protest after Killings (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)

Japan

1: Public Anger Against Nuclear Power Mounts In Japan (link 1)
6: Labornet Japan: Quake Hotline to protect jobs - unpaid layoffs spread nationwide! (link 1)
13: Young Japanese Temporary Workers Create Their Own Unions (link 1)
15: Houlong farmers rejoice as science park plan rejected (link 1)
15: Anti-nuclear protests in Tokyo �and around the planet (link 1)
25: Workers of Denryoku Soren Face Dire Plight at Fukushima Nuclear Site (link 1)
26: Angry farmers bring cows to Tokyo to demand compensation for nuclear contamination - 680News (link 1)

Malaysia

5: Detainees escape after setting fire on detention block (link 1) (link 2)
6: Poor conditions led to rioting (link 1)
25: Workers to demand wage increase at Labour Day rally (link 1)

Mongolia

26: Protesting Herders on Horseback Replaced by People`s Assembly, But They Will Return (link 1)

Philippines

1: Iloilo villagers protest mining operations (link 1)
1: The forgotten history of the Filipino laborers who worked with Cesar Chavez (link 1)
1: PAL ready for ground crew union's strike (link 1)
1: Transport Caravan and Transport Strikes, "Just For Starters" (link 1)
3: PAL workers unfazed, vow to still strike - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
4: PALEA holds rally vs strike ban (link 1)
5: Protests at US military presence in the Philippines (link 1)
5: Banco Filipino Employees Protest 'Illegal Lay-off' in The Wake of Bank Closure (link 1)
5: DoLE order not good for employees, says PALEA president (link 1) (link 2)
5: Environmentalists Step up Protests vs Coal-fired Plants as President Aquino Inaugurates One in Iloilo (link 1)
7: Transport groups to stage more protests (link 1)
7: DTI backs calls for minimum wage hike (link 1)
7: Bishops support strike to protest PAL layoffs (link 1)
8: Central Luzon farmers want Yankees to go home (link 1)
10: PALEA to seek reversal of OP decision (link 1) (link 2)
10: Piston transport group warns of strikes in May (link 1)
18: About anarchist history in the Philippines (link 1)
19: PAL workers' union: Strike will be a surprise (link 1)
20: Piston transport group warns of strikes in May (link 1)
25: Philippine workers dare Aquino: Let's debate on wage issue (link 1)
27: Labor Groups Prepare Mass Actions for May 1 �and Beyond� (link 1) (link 2)
28: 2 journalists, 17 others hurt as violence mars clearing operations (link 1)
30: Mindanao workers vow peaceful action despite unfulfilled wage hike (link 1)
30: Thousands to join Labor Day rally (link 1) (link 2)

South Korea

1: Kumho Tyre Lifts Lockout on Metal Workers Union in Korea (link 1)
4: Ssangyong and social homicide (link 1) (link 2)
12: Students push for lower tuition fees (link 1)
15: KMWU rally in Busan to support strike at Hanjin (link 1)
22: [Column] Et tu, Hyundai Union? (link 1)
23: Union members targeted by companies for claims (link 1)
28: Gov't rejects labor groups' request to visit N. Korea (link 1)

Taiwan

3: President gets rude welcome at petrochemical project protest (link 1)
20: Taiwanese protest against petrochemical complex (link 1)
21: Labor groups call for wage hike (link 1) (link 2)
22: Singer to hold nude protest against nuclear energy (link 1)
25: Singer goes partially naked to protest nuclear power (link 1)
27: Labor groups to protest health department (link 1)
28: Protests block mayor's entrance to Taipei City Council (link 1)
29: Ma urges companies to raise salaries (link 1)
29: Thousands to march in Taiwan anti-nuke protest (link 1)
30: Anti-nuclear rally draws legions (link 1)

Thailand

29: Burmese workers protest Saha Farm abuse (link 1)

Vietnam

3: Wide Support for Cu Huy Ha Vuâ's Case in Vietnam (link 1)
4: Prominent Vietnam dissident jailed for seven years (link 1)
27: Vietnamese workers end strike after Taiwan company hikes wages (link 1)
28: Vietnamese end strike as Taiwan firm hikes wages (link 1)