Moment of peace for migrant workers

By Lairam Vapual

December seems to be a time of joy -- a time to give, a time to send greeting cards, a time to exchange gifts, a time to share nice experiences. Festive decorations such as brightly-illuminated Christmas trees, colored balloons, sweet smiling Santas and glittering welcome signs can be seen everywhere in town.

But all these things mean little to those whose hearts are full of anxieties. In countries thousands of miles beyond the peninsula, little children are wondering why their daddies overseas are not sending them cards and gifts at this time. Friends are wishing Godspeed to their loved ones distressed in a foreign land. Parents are earnestly praying for the safety of their dear sons and daughters across the ocean.

No sweet December. No greeting cards. No singing of joy. Yes, migrant workers have been deprived of these sweet little things. These days the goddess of luck hardly brings any good news to these poor people to enliven their weary souls. For them joy has become the forbidden fruit.

History has proved an undeniable fact that it has always been very difficult for the grassroots to get their voices heard. Migrant workers here are no exception. With the old worn-out year drawing closer to an end, people are as busy as bees doing their own work and planning for the New Year. The lonely unwelcome guests in the dark corners are almost forgotten by all but the police who have been vehemently chasing after them.

Looking at the current situation of the laborers, a retired Australian professor in Seoul said, "Foreign workers are a symbol that Korea has done better in some areas of development than the countries the workers came from. And they are not just cheap labor. They are a source of 'cultural capital' for Koreans to operate more effectively in the international market place, because the workers can often see ways of doing things in business more efficiently, more safely and more profitably." The professor also believes that foreign workers can be an important value-adding factor for long-term business profitability.

But some are saying that emotional sympathy should not be allowed to interfere in setting up principles for dealing with migrant workers. One top official concerned also agreed, saying that the government could not afford to bend the rules and principles in handling aliens without proper status.

I am not sure whether they say that with a clear conscience after looking back to the past at what the industrial workers have contributed to the country. Anyway, it is also worth noting what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the respected civil rights leader in the 1950s and 60s, said; "It is important to see that there are times when a manmade law is out of harmony with the moral law of the universe."

Recounting his four-year experience in Korea, Nite Pa, a Myanmar guest worker in Ansan, said, "I always view the Republic of Korea as an ideal country in Asia, the pride of Asian people, because it is a developing country that values the human rights of each individual. I am very proud of the fact that not only in Europe and America, but also here in Korea, people enjoy their human rights."

Mr Khan, a Bangladeshi working in Ansan, also pointed out the reason he still remained here. The migrant said, "At present we are not able to go back to our homelands due to various problems that each one of us have. I am sure we will go back home sooner or later." He also expressed his willingness to pay tax to the government should he be required to do so for being allowed to continue to work here.

Mr Myeong, a Korean manager at a manufacturing company in Pyeongtaek, shared his view. "I really don't think we will want to do hard manual work. We do need foreign workers." He suggested, "I think our government should grant a blanket amnesty to all of them regardless of their status and the duration of their stay. And it should rather focus on restricting entry by future migrants."

The other night, as I was coming home from a prayer service, I met several young people happily singing a Christmas song at a quiet corner of a railway station. The encounter promptly reminded me of an event that I once read about years ago. It was on Christmas Eve during the Franco-German war of 1870-1871.

The two sides were facing each other in their trenches ready to fire when a French soldier jumped up and began singing a Christmas song. Amazed by it, the German soldiers did not fire. Instead, one of them stepped forward to join his enemy in singing. For a short time at least, peace prevailed on the battlefield and joy was shared among men whose job was to kill each other.

With Christmas just a day ahead, I have been wondering if the hunted guest workers will ever be granted peace, at least for one moment. After all, we are well aware that the Korean government and migrant workers are not foes, but economically interdependent friends. We also know that this beautiful peninsula is not a noisy hunting ground but the Land of Morning Calm.

Third Article (Dec. 24, 2003)
The Korea Herald (A Reader's View)