People’s Caravan Tackles WTO and its impacts to migrants and migration : QC IMC

More than 200 migrant workers, local NGOs, students and migrant advocates attended the WTO and Migration forum today organised by the Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PANAP), Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) and the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM).

The said forum was organised as part of the month-long People’s Caravan 2004 for Food Sovereignty that advocates on issues of the WTO, genetic engineering, pesticides, and agrochemical industries.

Additionally, said Ramon Bultron of APMM, it is also a part of the preparations for the campaign against the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the WTO slated in Hong Kong on December 2005.

Speakers in the forum included Dr.Irene Fernandez of Tenaganita (Malaysia), Antonio Tujan, Jr. of IBON Philippines, Connie Bragas-Regalado of AMCB and Migrante Partylist, and Gilbert Sape of PANAP.

Dr. Fernandez discussed the issues of globalisation and migration. She said that migrant labour has been used in the globalisation process since its first wave which was during the colonialism period. She relayed the current global reality of "Two Worlds" with one controlling wealth and power, and the other that is poor, in debt and divided.

The Malaysian human rights activist also reported on the situation of undocumented workers in Malaysia and the human rights violations committed against them during the crackdown in 2003.

Mr. Tujan, meanwhile, stressed the impacts of the "inherently flawed" WTO and its policies that force people to work abroad. He said that WTO policies that result in bankruptcy of poor peasants and labour contractualisation in countries like the Philippines lead to poverty and migration.

A study of IBON Philippines, he revealed, said that Filipinos migrate not to earn additional income but due to job scarcity.

Ms Regalado, a veteran migrant activist, emphasised the need for the migrant workers to form organisations to resist globalisation, WTO and forced migration. Moreover, she encouraged the migrant workers to join the campaign against the WTO Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in 2005. She also invited the participants to join in the efforts of migrant groups to form an International Migrants Alliance that is set to start next year.

Mr. Sape explained to the participants the history, objectives and process of the People’s Caravan 2004. He called for support to the People’s Agenda on Food Sovereignty that is the expected outcome from the said activity.

Mr. Bultron stated an "overwhelming opposition" of the participants to the WTO. He said that many of the migrant groups expressed their desire to "re-echo" the forum to their members.