Printed from The Straits Times Interactive

APR 19 2000

Asian faces among anti-IMF protesters

The Asian band of protesters, which includes groups from India, South Korea and the Philippines, represents a rich diversity of causes

By LEE SIEW HUA
US CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON -- Asian faces were among the 400 groups of mostly white, young and dressed-down protesters at the joint International Monetary Fund-World Bank meetings here.

Ms Vineeta Gupta, a medical doctor from Punjab, India, was in a group of 25 people who woke World Bank president James Wolfensohn at his home at 6 am.

That stunt was described literally as a "wake-up call" for a campaign to boycott World Bank bonds, which finance 80 per cent of the institution's projects.

When he accepted the letter, Mr Wolfensohn told the activists he had no time and would read it later. This was however not to be.

Dr Gupta said: "No. We will read the letter to you now."

The Asian band, like a smaller mirror of the vast coalition of protesters who descended on this city, represented a rich diversity of causes, activists told The Straits Times.

A Korean contingent that marched among the demonstrators was angry with the IMF, which it said had stretched the cycle of instability during the Asian financial crisis.

Asian children, including Thais, who were victims of sweatshop conditions, were spotted on the Ellipse, near the White House.

Filipinos were also prominent in the protests. Filipina Maitet Pascual of the Freedom From Debt Coalition, told The Straits Times: "The government has given top priority to servicing debt over all other social services. We have paid very dearly for that."

On one activist website (www.indymedia.org) was an interview with Mr Colin Rajah of JUST ACT, a San Francisco group linking American and Asian youths to organise for justice.

Mr Rajah, who grew up in Malaysia, said: "The youth movement in Asia is very strong, but very repressed."

Among the activists too was a Bhutan student who fought for education as a basic human right.

Anti-Myanmar causes are evergreen in the US. One event listed was the Free Burma Dinner, to raise money for democracy in the country.

Ms Beverly Bell of the Centre for Economic Justice in Washington said: "Asian voices are being heard."

The thousands of protestors brought large parts of downtown Washington to a standstill for two days.