On Wednesday, May 17, a rally was held on the way from the Presidential Office in Yongsan to the Royal Thai Embassy in Korea, together with Russian refugees who refused to take part in Russia’s war and came to Korea for freedom and peace, and with Thailand’s first conscientious objector. The rally urged the recognition of Russian refugees and urged the Thai government to recognize the rights of conscientious objectors.
Below is the press release for the rally.
Rally in Solidarity with Conscientious Objectors and Refugees from Russia and Thailand
The Korean government must recognize Russian refugees
The Thai government must recognize the right to conscientious objection
Greetings of peace.
May 15 is International Conscientious Objection Day. Since 2003, various events have been held in Korea on May 15, International Conscientious Objection Day. They demanded that the Korean government introduce alternative service and release conscientious objectors, and took action in solidarity with conscientious objectors in many countries, including Israel, Turkey and Colombia. This year on Conscientious Objection Day, civil society organizations in Korea are jointly hosting a rally in solidarity with conscientious objectors and refugees from Russia and Thailand.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many Russians who do not want to take part in the war have been leaving their homeland. After Putin’s mobilization order last September in particular, the number of people escaping Russia increased sharply, and some of them came to Korea and tried to apply for refugee status. According to what is known, more than 200 Russians have so far entered through Incheon Airport and tried to apply for refugee status, but the applications themselves were refused, and five of them are suing the Korean government. The court has ruled that the Korean government’s action of depriving them even of the opportunity for examination is contrary to the Refugee Act, but the Ministry of Justice has in effect kept them detained at the foreigner center and does not even recognize their eligibility for examination.
Thailand is a country with conscription. The Thai military has not fought a war in the past 100 years, yet it has staged at least 12 coups, posing a serious threat to Thai democracy. Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal is Thailand’s first conscientious objector, and he declared his conscientious objection at the age of 18. Since then he has been a human rights activist actively involved in the Thai democracy movement, and he is also the proposer of the “Milk Tea Alliance,” a solidarity network of democracy movements in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand. Netiwit, a devout Buddhist, once entered the monkhood, but he left the monastic life and returned to lay life in order to complete the procedure for conscientious objection. Netiwit has entered legal proceedings, and because he is Thailand’s first conscientious objector, it is impossible to predict how the situation will change. Netiwit visited Korea and gave a lecture titled “Thai Democracy, Civil Resistance and Conscientious Objection” on the 15th, and on the 16th he testified at “International Conference: How to Resist the Arms Trade” about how Korean-made water cannons violate Thai democracy.
At this “Rally in Solidarity with Conscientious Objectors and Refugees from Russia and Thailand,” we stand in solidarity with Russian refugees who refused to take part in the war and came to Korea for freedom and peace, and with Netiwit, Thailand’s first conscientious objector. In front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, we urge the Korean government to recognize Russian refugees, and at the Thai Embassy, we urge the Thai government to recognize the rights of Thai conscientious objectors. Zelda Grimshaw, a peace activist from Australia, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, a Thai conscientious objector, and human rights and peace activists and citizens from Korea will take part.
We ask for the attention and coverage of the many journalists who work for democracy, human rights and peace.
Inquiries: Choi Jeong-min (World Without War, 010-7261-1861). End.
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7Youngmin Kwon and 6 others